Running behind and hitting every red light...

Last night was our next to last music class for the "semester". And it hit me as I was rushing home to pick Joshua up that the whole experience was a pretty accurate analogy of the motherhood-career struggle that seems to go on in our family life every day. I'm sure that this experience is only the tip of the iceberg as far as balance goes, and I'm also sure that many of my experienced mommy friends can give me a little coaching on handling all of this. But here's how it went.

Mondays are a bit crazed for us. Joshua's music class starts right at 5:30. And since these music classes are 30 minutes jam packed with singing, followed by 30 more minutes for another group of anxious small people, there's not much room for being late. The carpet squares wait for no one. And, Bonnie leaves early on Mondays which means I have to stay at the office until 5:00 to close down. So yesterday, at 4:57 the phone rang. It was an involved situation...so I didn't leave the office until 5:04. 4 minutes...what's the big deal? Well, then I hit every single red light between here and home. There are about 5 (maybe 6). My normal 11-12 minute ride took longer than that. At 5:20, I pulled into the driveway. And then I had to go to the bathroom. Really wasn't time for that, but it had to be done or else I wouldn't have made it through "Had a Mule His Name was Jack". We loaded into the car at 5:22 and rushed back to music class. Hit every red light one more time. We made it...by the skin of our teeth. And we had a blast at music class! Joshua sang like a champ, played the drums and bounced his ball like a pro. Miss Margot even commented that he really has a knack for keeping the beat of the music on his drum. He smiled so proudly that she had complimented him.

So, what's the point, right? Well...it would probably be easier to bag music class, save the stress on Monday afternoons and just go home and make dinner for our family. But this juggling act that's called parenthood doesn't often take the easy road. And the decision I've made to be a career woman, and a business owner at that, doesn't mesh easily with the desire I have and the commitment I've made to be a hands-on Mommy. But I do know this--- throughout the past two years, I've realized that in all of the commotion, the lists, the getting up early to get dinner started before Joshua awakes, the balancing with Jason of "you-do-this-while-I-do-this", the sheer exhaustion at the end of the day that comes with being chief executive officer at work and chief diaper changer at home, I wouldn't have it any other way. There have been sacrifices along the way---- I choose which meetings I attend based on the merit of the agenda. I've made some people mad with my choices not to leave Joshua overnight because I value that time as a family more than I do a trip away with my fellow agents. There have been business consequences and maybe I've fallen a few steps as the person who will always "go along" and "do what I'm told". And that's OK. I've just learned that keeping this little boy smiling, and his Daddy and I seeing as eye-to-eye as two parents can, is more important than anything else.

So, our last Manic Monday of the fall season is next week. But music class signups for the spring semester start in a few weeks. And we'll proudly be on the list. Because Joshua wants to. And I wouldn't miss the smile on his face when he emerges from the tent during "No Bears Out Tonight" for all the tea in China. Or all the insurance in Lewisburg.

Joshua giving Bear some loving this morning. He kept saying "Bear, I love you so much."