A Mother’s Job
You never really know what to expect from a new job until you do it.
I’ve had several new jobs, but with each one, I quickly got the hang of it and got pretty comfortable, and new what to expect from day to day and year to year. The anxiety I felt when I got the new job of being a mother was far greater than anything I had experienced before. Although I learned how to be a mother as I did it, I really never got “comfortable” and I never really knew what to expect for the next year and stage of my child’s life until we got there. Because it was always changing as we both grew up.
I have become more mature
I didn’t really have any peer parents to learn from either. My friends weren’t parents yet (they were too young to be anyway). I wasn’t mature enough to seek the advice of older parents so I just did the best I could with what I knew. The young years were relatively easy with my main concern being who would keep my son while I worked and went to class. The teen years were another story. I was more mature then and he was (and still is) trying to figure out who he was (is). It was then that I truly understood the magnitude of the responsibility of being a mother. I was not just responsible for his physical well-being but also his very being. His complex emotional and mental well-being. His life and his future. It really hit me and it has been a, um, beautiful challenge.
By then, I was wise enough to seek advice and help and also observe other parents. I watched every one. And at this time, I began to really appreciate my own mother who had raised five children…
And my grandmothers who had raised more kids, grandkids great grands, nieces, and nephews than they probably even could count. and all that they had been through with me and the many many children and grandchildren that they had guided through this world. I’m still learning about the things these incredible women have endured before, during, and after becoming mothers. And their children were always put first. Some day maybe they will all share their incredible stories of sacrifice, endurance, humility, and determination.
Second-generation mother
At the age of 34, I became a second-generation mother (okay, yes, a grandmother). Although I wasn’t ready to be a grandmother, I am excited to have the opportunity to share and apply what I’ve learned with another little person who looks like me! And I’m thankful that this sweet baby has a wonderful new mother that I am confident will raise her to be a great woman. And I’ll get to help which I will gladly and often do.
A mother’s job is 24/7 and never-ending. Never fully understood and definitely under-appreciated. But it is also more rewarding than any other job in the world.
Here’s to all the mothers out there. Especially mine and the person I’m honored to be a mother too.
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I’m Summer Owens, and my passion is helping youth and young adults realize success no matter what obstacles they face. As an international resilience and leadership keynote speaker, author, S.O. What! Success Coach, and creator of the S.O. What! Literacy, Life Skills, and Character Education curriculum, I empower people to say, “So what!” to even their greatest challenges. provide a framework to help people see past their challenges and focus on solutions using the S.O. What! Success System (Overcome Obstacles + Eliminate Excuses + Calculate Choices = S.O. What! Success). Through keynotes, workshops, books, online courses, and workbooks, I use life’s challenges and my own story of resilience as a rape survivor and teen mom success story to help others confidently pursue their dreams.
Looking for an inspiring college motivational speaker? A high school literacy curriculum? A middle school life skills workbook? A great example for teen mothers? A women’s empowerment or single mother’s conference speaker? I’m your girl and will help any audience say, “S.O. What!”.
