What do I want to be when I grow up...

When I think of my future, as in "What I Want to be When I Grow Up" I still really don't know. Maybe that is because we are always in a process of growing and changing. When I was younger, I wanted to marry a Christian man, be a Mom, and be a dental hygienist. So far so go. But who knew that I would soon be a Mom to 4 kids!

So do Mom's of 4 kids really work outside the home?? I guess in my mind, I stereotype Moms of large families as stay-at-home Moms who are totally devoted to their husband and kids. I now find myself preparing breaking my own stereotype and am not really sure how I feel about that. Sure, most days it would be a whole lot easier not to drive a half hour to work, put in my day, then come home and start my second "job" of the day. However, I enjoy my job and am fortunate that I make a decent salary with excellent benefits - both of which we depend upon. When I leave work at the end of the day, I don't feel as if I have just wasted 6-8 hours of my life. I feel like I have made the difference in a life of a child, who isn't even my own flesh and blood. In the US today, I honestly should be thankful to have a job period even if it is for a near bankrupt state!

So what does the future hold? I really couldn't tell you. I know that God will show the way as it comes. I used to think that in a professional sense, I wanted to be a dental hygiene instructor. That is still partly true. I would love to be a clinical instructor however, I'm losing the desire to teach didactic classes and I have absolutely no desire at this time to attempt to be a tenure track instructor. In my position at SIU now, I feel lucky to observe what I thought I would like to do in the future from the outside. I get to see what is really involved with being an instructor for what it really is. There is a WHOLE lot that goes on that I never realized as a student. At this point, there is no way that I could handle that as a Mom of almost 4! In our family life I would love to say that things will remain the same even after #4 makes his/her appearance but that would be very naive. A baby changes everything. Money will be tighter, rivalry will be stronger, the house will be messier, but I can tell you there will be even more love!