Do You Need a New Job

It’s a quiet Friday morning and you have a nice cup of hot tea as you sit down to go through your “to do” list. Your youngest is graduating from high school in six weeks and the round of activities is overwhelming. She’s already been on her senior trip and now it’s all about getting ready for the prom, which is all she can talk about in between short chats about what she’s going to need for her dorm room and the clothes for college life.

She has her prom gown and you were able to talk her into the more modestly priced one. She agreed to wear the shoes she wore the SnowBall Cotillion because she really loved them and they do go perfectly with her gown. This morning, you’re working on the menu for her graduation party which she wants to keep simple (thank goodness) and have a backyard barbecue. Fortunately, you have a very large backyard and, if necessary, you can rent some tents to keep all of the kids out of the house and in the yard. So many things to take care of. It’s great that she’s being so practical. And then, prom is over, graduation is over. All of the activities are finished. It’s all done. And, then she’ll get through summer. And, then, she’ll be gone.

That’s when it begins to hit you. Your youngest child is leaving home for college. College is 500 miles away. Once you get her settled in college, your work is done. And, that’s when it occurs to you. You won’t have a job anymore. For 21 years you have devoted your life to being a mother. That’s what you and your husband decided when you had your first child. You would be a stay-at-home mom. You have been an outstanding mother. Both of your daughters are amazing young women. Your husband tells everyone it is to your credit and they follow in your footsteps. But your oldest will graduate from college in a year and your youngest is leaving for college. And they don’t need a mom like they did when they were little ones. They don’t need cookies for bake sales or band-aids when they have a boo-boo. You don’t have a job anymore.

Or, do you? Is it that your job has changed? Is this a time for you to look at your new options? All the things you wanted to explore in the past but never had time? Is this your time to do that now? Without guilt? Without feeling that you’re not doing something for someone else? Maybe it’s time for you. Have you considered that possibility? You’re a young, vibrant women with many interests. So, do you need a new job?