Member-only story
I always wanted kids. I’m a Cancer, the mother, the nurturer, through and through. It is simply who I am so I wanted kids and I wanted to stay home to raise them. In fact, in hindsight, I could argue that I didn’t really build any kind of actual career for myself because I was waiting to have kids and make that my career.
Fortunately for me, my husband was up for all of it. We did, actually and responsibly have this discussion before we wed. (small tip: if you and your spouse are not on the same page about kids and how to raise them — think long and hard about marriage — resentment is a marriage killer like no other).
We waited ten years but true to my promise, when the babies came, I gave that part of my life pretty much everything I had: I attachment parented, breastfed, signed up for a co-op nursery school where you worked in the classroom twice a month, playground every day, did messy art projects, read countless books, hosted sleepovers, went to the Thanksgiving Day parade — every year, volunteered as class parent, chaperoned every single field trip, missed not one soccer game, dance recital, school play, baseball game, parent-teacher conference or half birthday.
