Homemaking: The Ultimate Career

Ever since I went back to work after I had my oldest son I have battled with balancing my career and my family. I received an immense amount of scrutiny for my decision; although, most of it was from myself. Looking back now I wish I had known what I know now.

1. Being a Homemaker Does Not Mean Being a Stay-at-Home Mom

As challenging as it is I still work full time to assist in supporting my family now and in the future. What I've recently realized in regards to homemaking has helped me balance the two with much more finesse. By definition a homemaker is a person who manages the household of his or her own family, especially as a principal occupation (dictionary.com).  Homemaker is often interchanged with housewife. There are some who choose to be a homemaker by occupation and others, like me, who choose to or out of necessity work outside of the home and therefore must balance career and homemaking.

I'm still learning how this works for me but I am making progress. A very good friend of mine sent me a quote by C.S. Lewis as I started my journey and it changed my entire view of being a homemaker.

Interesting thought...fulfilling your role as a housewife or homemaker is the fundamental basis for all other work. Think about it, we need homemakers that make homes a place of rejuvenation so other work can be done. Homemaking is a divine role and a necessary role for the success of our families and our careers.

Sadly, there are too many of us that believe you must choose between homemaking and a career. I'm here to say you can have both.  You can be (I can be) both a successful homemaker and a successful career woman.

The key is balance.

Too many times in the past I have brought my work home with me. My mind was elsewhere when I was at home which caused me to struggle as a homemaker. Our  recent experience with our move flipped an emotional switch that has helped me separate the two and focus on home and family as my ultimate career.

For those of you struggling to find the balance,  start with realizing that you do have a lot on your plate and it's okay to feel the stress of that.  If you can master the art of leaving work at work then your ultimate career won't suffer. Always remember you can be both a homemaker and a successful career woman.

2.  Success is Not Defind by a Job Title

I suppose it depends on who you speak to but in my opinion success is not defined by a career. When I was about 10 years old, my uncle told my mother and father he thought they were the richest couple in the family. I am one of seven kids so he obviously didn't mean we were monetarily the richest. He went on to explain that my parents were blessed with and were doing a great job at raising their children. That was true success to him and it has stuck with me through the years.

I am sad to admit that there have been several times over the last few years that the excitement of a job title or the blessing of a promotion has made me think, 'Yes! Now I am successful!' or 'Yes! Now others will see my success!' Boy oh boy was I wrong. Am I still proud of myself for being able to accomplish my career goals? Absolutely. Should I have allowed those accomplishments to define my success? Abosolutely not.

My family is my success. Their success is my success. Their happiness is my success. Their well-being is my success.

Our home is my success.

3. There is a Difference Between Homemaking and Housekeeping

This thought has literally blown my mind. It is amazing what we can realize when we step outside of ourselves. I have always stressed about having a perfectly clean and orgaznized home. I've often felt like a failure as a mother when my kids had to go to bed in a room with clothes still on the floor that didn't quite make it to the hamper or a bed that wasn't made that morning. I've felt guilty when my husband and I returned home from work to a kitchen sink filled with dirty dishes and a living room filled with toys. I've beat myself up over the smallest of housekeeping items that have not been completed. This tore me down as a homemaker.

As I think back on those days I realize that those are the days that I chose to comfort, play with or simply be with my kids or husband. I was making my home. I was creating a place of comfort and safety. Anyone can clean a house wth little effort but it takes much more effort to make a home. On the other hand, I do believe that housekeeping is a key element of homemaking but it is not what makes a home.

Love, kindness, consideration, hope, encouragement, honesty and safety are just a few of the elements that make a home.