Thankful Thursday- I have arrived.

I had some quiet time to think the other morning as I rocked my son down for his nap. Our new thing at sleepy time is he loves to put his head on my/his daddy's shoulder while we rock and pat and sing. It is so wonderful to have these quiet snuggles amidst the usual chaos. I don't worry about a 'bad habit' in rocking(like my mom believes, tsk), but rather bask in the brief moments we have like these before our children grow up.

Today he fell asleep quickly. With his face tucked under my chin and his sweet breath on my neck, I thought for a moment my heart would just explode love and joy. (That would be messy!) Then it occurred to me- out of all of the things I could be doing in life as a career, hobby, etc- this is it. I want to be Mom.

The surprise in this realization (at least, to me) is probably due in large part because of the way I ended up here. It wasn't via the original 'plan'. The original plan involved a college degree for one. And a career. Or at least, a career post babies. And then there's the whole matter of being a stay at home mom not being considered much of a goal in life to many. There was a part of me that believed that I had to have a career objective outside of being a Mom to satisfy everyone else, because that is what's expected.

That morning while rocking, I decided to silence for good those inner and outer voices questioning my self-worth as a stay at home mom. I do not have a college degree, nor corporate career. No goal of a career outside of my home even(for now). And to anyone that thinks those things are necessary for me to achieve success in life- I say take a nap. No really, go take a nap.

I am thankful to be Mom. I am thankful for the winding, unexpected road I followed. In all the poopy, snotty, tantrum glory, I have finally arrived.