Being “Mrs. Ross” is the Second Best Thing to Being “Mommy.”

Flashback to when I became a stay at home mom. I was so driven for years, building a career so that I could provide, and doing as much I could to fill needs and be part of the community, trying to help wherever I could. I accomplished quite a bit and grew so much during that time, I met so many wonderful people, and built lasting relationships. But, I missed a lot of the little moments with my babies. I didn’t take more than 3 months off after the birth of my children and my family and I were always on the go.

Then one day in February, I left a wonderful job with a great company to be home with my family and finish my degree. My husband and I made sacrifices for me to be able to stay home and be with my girls while I finished school online and in the evenings. I even homeschooled them for a year because I wanted to soak up as much as I could until my youngest was ready to go to kindergarten. I will never regret that decision or those sacrifices. I didn’t even realize how much I was missing! That was the best thing that ever happened to me as an adult. It was the most precious and meaningful season for my family, it reminded me of what the most important things in life are. Everything was an adventure, garden club, mini mommy and me field trips, sleeping-in, and cuddles snuck in during school work all day long. My youngest thought it was so cool I was her teacher too. She even asked “Can I call you Miss Mommy?”

Eighteen months after I finished my degree I began teaching at my daughter’s school. I felt so blessed to be able to work right next to my children. We drove to school together, we would leave school together, they were so happy to have me close too. One day driving home at 3pm with both babies in the back seat I thought “this is the life.” My new goal was to make sure I never missed out again, and that I would be present as much as possible until they grew up.

I had NO IDEA that not only would working in education be the best thing for them, but it would be a pivotal point for my life. That first week in the classroom was transformational, I knew then that this was where I was meant to be. I decided I would do whatever I needed to be in education for the long haul and I earned my temporary teaching certificate 4 months into the school year. Teaching has been the most rewarding and challenging and exciting thing I’ve ever done, it has allowed me to be present with my family, to contribute to society, to use my communication background, and it has challenged me to keep growing.

Being “Mrs. Ross” is the second best thing to being “mommy.”