The Toughest Job

I always thought I'd be "mommy."  I wasn't raised in a family where we said "mama." All of a sudden, my little boy has decided that I am Mama. As in "OKAyyy MAMA!" and OooooHHHH, THANK YOU, MAMA!" Or if his one-year-old little sister is chasing him, it's "Mama, mama, mama, mooooooommmmmmm, mama." Also, as in "did you toot?," "Oh yes, Mama." I really wish I could convey the tone of voice he uses to say this, but my odd choice of caps and lower case will have to do for now.  We'll come back to this point in a bit.

 I once had a job where the slogan was "the toughest job you will ever love." It did require trekking through mountains, not having consistent running water or shower or indoor plumbing at all, and combating a language and cultural barrier to try to build a sustainable health education program in rural Guatemala. It certainly was  tough...and I didn't love it. I learned from it, but I definitely didn't love it. As a matter of fact, after what I considered enough, I quit it and went back to my running water, comfy surroundings, and lattes. I wasn't normally a quitter, so admitting defeat was difficult. My reasons for quitting that job were complicated: safety issues, boredom, and being somewhat uncomfortable in my own skin and having trouble with the slowness of life. However, that's not the point of what I'm writing either...and I'll get there, I promise. 

What got me thinking about both being mama and my "toughest" job was the following video,  posted by Melissa today on Facebook: 

I just got sold. Or bought, as the case may be.  Or bought and sold. On motherhood, on the Olympics, perhaps on powerful advertising. I haven't had a commercial make me feel since, okay, not very long ago (I do love those Liberty Mutual ads where everyone helps each other by witnessing a small act of kindness...I think the point was to consider what a wonderful world it would be if everyone acted like that, ie: like Liberty Mutual). But you get it. This one got me all choked up.

The title of this ad is "Best Job." And yes, it is the best. Arguably at 2am or in the middle of a public meltdown (take your pick of tantrums: me, the baby, or the two year old), it's quite possibly the worst, but most of the time it is the best. You can't quit it and to succeed you have to be comfortable in your own skin. Being mama, mom, or mommy is the true toughest job you will ever love...and here comes the cop out:  If I had more time tonight and wasn't looking at a night of crying-it-out (me and the baby), I would eloquently draw all the parallels to my previously mentioned "toughest job" and  my "best job" (don't even get me started on the safety issues and the language barrier in motherhood) and have a perfectly edited, A+ essay.  But, I'll let you make some up.

I think my point is the following: watch the ad. If you have kids, if you don't. It may not send you running out to buy Proctor and Gamble products but it will for a few moments make you feel what we all want to feel: Hopeful. Moved. We all want the best for our future generations (Olympic hopefuls or not).  Happy Mama's Day.

- West Coast Mama