Skip to main content

The Challenge of Old McDonald

I am someone who loves to be challenged.  I have to continually be learning new things in order to feel as though I'm being used to my fullest potential.  In my career, I search for innovations that need to be made, problems that need to be solved, and ways that I can continue to climb the corporate ladder in order to feel valued by my colleagues and clients.  Maybe you're the same way?

When I first became a mom, I was faced with many challenges; however, I didn't recognize them as challenges.  I thought that these were mistakes within my own abilities at being a mom.  I thought that I was doing the wrong things.  I thought that I was a failure.  But, I was wrong.

Learning how to recognize the challenges of motherhood is important in order to properly face each challenge.  The challenges begin with the simple task of recognizing the basic needs of Baby.  When is he/she hungry, sleepy, gassy, dirty, bored, cold, etc.?  These are the small challenges and, if you pay attention, you eventually figure them out.  The riddle is solved! But, the challenges get bigger and bigger with each day.  And, with each new challenge comes new innovations, new solutions, and greater mom intelligence.

Someone might see a mom singing "Old McDonald" to her child and think that this is an easy task.  But, I beg to differ. That mom probably isn't just singing a simple song to her child.  No, she is handling a larger responsibility.  She is educating, entertaining, creating imagination, communicating, counseling, and more.  With one song, a mother can successfully fulfill many of the child's needs.

The wonder of it all...years from now, no one is going to remember the projects that I designed at work.  My clients may not remember my name.  My colleagues will retire.  I will be forgotten.  But, during the minutes it takes me to sing a simple song to my child, I have conquered the world.  I have taught my child what it means to be a mom, to laugh, smile, and love.  What greater challenge is there?



If you like this, be sure to check out:

              

Comments

  1. Another great post, Katie! I like how you identified "feelings of failure" as misidentified "challenges!"

    I believe it refers back to your previous post about motherhood NOT being something "easy" and "oh, it's just something you'll know how to do." Rather, it is a career that is more challenging than any other career we've ever had the privilege to be hired.

    If we were all hired to do a job and then came to our jobs everyday with the attitude of "well, I already know how to this job 100% because they hired me, so now I can just coast for the rest of my career and not progress or learn," what horrid and leeching employees we would be on the company! So why approach motherhood with that same attitude?

    And some provide the attitude that "your kids will adjust to your busy lifestyle, so don't change what you are doing." That's about as unsuccessful an attitude as saying, "my company should revolve around MY needs, not my CLIENTS' needs." Ultimately it boils to: whether or not you're a mother or a career woman, you are here to serve, not be serviced.

    Thanks for allowing me to voice my opinions! :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Leadership Mom: SWOT Analysis

In business, leaders often analyze our Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats through a SWOT analysis.  So, if we are going to look at our role as moms as being the greatest leadership opportunity to us, let's start with analyzing ourselves and our kids.  Here's the SWOT I developed for my family: Family SWOT Analysis As a doting mother, there are hundreds of strengths that I could put up here for my kids.  Their hugs, kisses, bedtime stories and prayers, the fact that they come to me when they're seeking healing from an injury (physical or emotional), the notes and drawings they make for me, their precious hearts when they try to help me or that they've learned how to use the Keurig to bring me coffee in the morning...I could go on and on. Now, here's the part where we get honest with ourselves.  Yes, we love our kids and we love our family (or, hopefully, most of the time), but we are not perfect.  Nor should we be perfect.  As we analyze oursel

I'm no longer telling my kids to have fun

Today, I've made an important realization that is changing the way that I talk to my children.  I am no longer going to tell them to have fun. Don't get me wrong, I desperately desire that my children find joy, happiness and laughter through numerous experiences and adventures.  But, my children's definition of fun and mine have two VERY different meanings. I'll give you an example. My almost four-year-old son loves to destroy things.  He's like his dad - a man who just wants to learn how things work, as well as cause and effect.  So, he takes apart toys, sister's dolls, kitchen appliances, and more.  He tears books because "the story was in the wrong order."  He pushes buttons - both literally and figuratively.  He colors on walls, floors, computer monitors, furniture, carpet and more because he wants to create maps and "building plans" for his Duplos.  This is his idea of fun . Do you see my dilemma?  His idea of fun is so completel

Cybersecurity 101

One of the things that continually amazes me as a parent of young(er) children is their ability to quickly understand technology and its uses.  Not only have my children learned the art of swiping to use different devices, but they've also learned how to access apps, take pictures, answer calls (both phone and Skype), and more.  My children could teach their grandparents a lesson or two on how to use technology. But, as a student of cybersecurity, I have seen a greater need to educate my children - as well as so many others - on the cybersecurity.  This goes beyond posting inappropriate pictures and unfriendly words on social media (although these lessons must also be taught).  This goes into the nature of understanding the benefits and risks of using technology and the privacy lost to it.  The major premise that must be understood in regards to cybersecurity is that information/data is money.  It's value is continually increasing.  We need to secure our information just as w