Parenting is the most challenging job of all

By Kate McCarrell

Guest Columnist

I’ve had a handful of jobs in my life so far. During college, I worked as a secretary, a reservation clerk and later an office manager and a petroleum landman. I’m currently taking courses to begin another endeavor and I also have another goal up my sleeve. (Yes, I tend to overwhelm myself sometimes.) With all this being said though, my most important job is that of being a parent.

 

I look back on my time as a landman working/living in Arkansas for six months and also when I returned home to work locally. At times, I found it to be ridiculously stressful. I had deadlines, head “honchos" calling for updates on the spot and there was a lot of responsibility tied to the accuracy of my work. (Ask anyone in the business…they will likely agree.) It’s also one of those jobs that can be gone in the blink of an eye. You could be rolling along one day and the next you could be out of a job looking for work. Oh the joys of the oil and gas industry!    

 

For the majority of my time in that profession, I was a Mom as well. Juggling both was stressful for me because I felt I was being pulled in different directions all the time. So when the call came that our work was complete, I can’t say I was all that devastated. I had just found out I was going to have another baby, (which turned out to be the triplets) so at that point, work was out of the question due to bedrest and maternity leave anyway.   

 

As important as any of the jobs I have had, the role of Mom carries the most weight in my opinion. Of course providing for your family is important too and it teaches a whole slew of things - responsibility, work ethic, etc. We are creating and raising the next generation. I mean, you can’t get much more important than that! I often think about what my boys will be like when they are grown. I know these five human beings that we've created will be their own person and are unique, but it’s my “job” to help mold them into great men.    

 

I continue to constantly work on deadlines even though I don't work outside of the home. We have to get the kids to (and from) school and other responsibilities on time. They have homework to be done or signed, we have uniforms to be washed/prepared for practices/events and we have supper, bath and bedtime that need to be “scheduled.” And I thought having a file completed and turned in on time was pressure!    

 

We are in the business of teaching our children about morals and ethics. This is a BIG one and likely the most important for me. I feel like the best way to teach my boys this is to live a life of integrity myself. Do I trip and fall sometimes? Of course, but part of the lesson is recognizing when you fall and know what it takes to get back on track. I often say that I’m not sure what the boys will do with their lives as far as professions but they will be gentlemen with manners and morals. If I succeed in no other goals in my life, I WILL raise five loving husbands, fathers and good Christian men. (My future daughter-in-laws will thank me!) I am recognizing daily that these are fleeting characteristics in society right now and I find it very sad and it scares me to think that this is where the world is headed.     

 

One aspect of parenting that I fall short of is discipline. I am a softy and it’s my biggest parenting flaw for sure. No excuses - it’s just something I know I need to work on daily. I’ve witnessed the affects on teenagers and young adults who were not disciplined as children and whose parents were more like “friends” instead of authority figures or good role models and it’s not the kind of parent I want to be or the type of kids I want to raise. When you are married to someone in law enforcement, you hear a lot of stories that are likely tied to parenting “flops.” It’s terrifying!      

 

I’m only eight years into this profession called parenthood. I know I have many more years of deadlines, stress, responsibility and some failure but I hope that the goals I set for myself as a parent and the standards set for the boys will prove to be a success! For any parents questioning what you are doing with your life, know that you have already been given the most important and rewarding job there is!