katie0128
Silver Member
- 3,510
This was from the weekly email I receive from M.O.P.S.
"So I thank you, Mama, for showing me how to do for others the right way ... how to say please and you're welcome and thank you ... and, at the end of a long day, to crawl into bed only after telling the people in my household good night." ~Patricia Raybon
Transferable Skills
by Alexandra Kuykendall, Ministry Outreach Representative
After four years of staying home full-time with my daughters, it was time to for me to reenter the world of Dry Clean Only shirts and audience-free trips to the bathroom, and head back to office life at least part-time. Looking over my résumé, it didn't feel right that the years I'd worked the hardest stood out as a "hole in my work history." I wanted words to describe how much I'd grown, been challenged and changed in four years. But, how could I sum up sleepless nights, sloppy kisses and whispered secrets in a few bullet points? I couldn't, they were too precious, too sacred, and the word "job" made them feel too mundane.
In my efforts to make sense of this transition, I tried a different approach. I made myself a list of transferable skills, ways my mommy life could be applied to cubicle life:
Able to multitask. Nursing a baby, while talking on the phone and making a peanut butter sandwich. No question.
Strong research skills. Where is that smell coming from?
Pays close attention to detail. Absolutely, when the difference between the pink and blue sippy could cause serious meltdown.
Works well under pressure. Potty training by the start of preschool!
Bilingual. "Mama, Y'ar yu?" Translation: Mommy. I need to see you to feel safe.
Provides strong customer service. Who else answers the same question 2,421 times in one day?
Able to manage a team. Getting four people out of the house, clothed and fed within an hour of intended departure takes an organizer.
Willing to master new skills. I promise cleaning poop off the wall is a new skill.
Looking over my list, I realized that I offer a more confident, tender, fuller version of myself to the world because of my most rewarding and challenging "job." Thank goodness being a mother doesn't have a quitting time, so I can keep my skill set growing.
Prayer From a Mother's Heart
Dear God, teach my child to use her talents in every task she tackles.
"So I thank you, Mama, for showing me how to do for others the right way ... how to say please and you're welcome and thank you ... and, at the end of a long day, to crawl into bed only after telling the people in my household good night." ~Patricia Raybon
Transferable Skills
by Alexandra Kuykendall, Ministry Outreach Representative
After four years of staying home full-time with my daughters, it was time to for me to reenter the world of Dry Clean Only shirts and audience-free trips to the bathroom, and head back to office life at least part-time. Looking over my résumé, it didn't feel right that the years I'd worked the hardest stood out as a "hole in my work history." I wanted words to describe how much I'd grown, been challenged and changed in four years. But, how could I sum up sleepless nights, sloppy kisses and whispered secrets in a few bullet points? I couldn't, they were too precious, too sacred, and the word "job" made them feel too mundane.
In my efforts to make sense of this transition, I tried a different approach. I made myself a list of transferable skills, ways my mommy life could be applied to cubicle life:
Able to multitask. Nursing a baby, while talking on the phone and making a peanut butter sandwich. No question.
Strong research skills. Where is that smell coming from?
Pays close attention to detail. Absolutely, when the difference between the pink and blue sippy could cause serious meltdown.
Works well under pressure. Potty training by the start of preschool!
Bilingual. "Mama, Y'ar yu?" Translation: Mommy. I need to see you to feel safe.
Provides strong customer service. Who else answers the same question 2,421 times in one day?
Able to manage a team. Getting four people out of the house, clothed and fed within an hour of intended departure takes an organizer.
Willing to master new skills. I promise cleaning poop off the wall is a new skill.
Looking over my list, I realized that I offer a more confident, tender, fuller version of myself to the world because of my most rewarding and challenging "job." Thank goodness being a mother doesn't have a quitting time, so I can keep my skill set growing.
Prayer From a Mother's Heart
Dear God, teach my child to use her talents in every task she tackles.
