November 5: The best job in the world

Last week I was having dinner at Cafe Natasha to celebrate my friend Christy's birthday. During our dinner, a Jesuit Priest, who Christy works with at SLU came into the restaurant.  We talked with him and in our conversation he asked me what I do, professionally speaking.  When I told him I was a stay at home mom his eyes lit up and he said "the best job in the entire world.  So important".  It made me feel good, surprisingly so.  I guess I've become accustomed to a couple of responses to my current job choice.  One is a condescending "bless your little heart, isn't that nice" response.   The other is an "ugh, better you than me, how do you stand that?" response.   Neither leave a person feeling awesome.  I've never once told someone that I'd hate their job, that it must be boring, what on Earth do they do all day, don't they feel like they should be doing more with their life and their education?  That would be rude.  Something happens when people are talking to moms though, they think anything goes, you learn that when you're pregnant.  Over the years, these thoughtless responses to my choice to stay at home have bothered me less and less, to a point that they don't even register with me anymore.  I guess that's why it felt so nice to have someone, who I think has one of the most important jobs in the world, tell me that my job is the best job in the world.  He's right, too.  It is the best and I am so thankful that I get to do this.  From now on when people ask me what I do, I just might tell them that I have the best job in the world!