Well if I had the answer to this!!!
This is such a tough one for me and quite possibly the key to it all.
The art of balance is always changing for us. So what works some months, doesn’t work others. Our lives, our needs and the ages of our children are ever changing. This makes the juggling act relentless!!
But we continue to juggle because as parents, you just want to give your kids what they need. Discerning that is crucial.
Many days I have rough plans. I have discovered very early on the need to be flexible because these can change so quickly.
I can remember times where I could sense an inner need from one of our children and I would feel a calling to stop what I’m doing and enter into their moment. I don’t mean put down the mixing spoon, I mean reschedule meetings or interviews or some major juggling! Sometimes the moment required I take someone out on an emergency “date” where they get one on one time with a parent to do something fun, or maybe they needed help with something they are struggling with be it homework or a project. Sometimes it’s just a listening ear and sometimes it’s a complex problem that needs to be broken down simply.
Fortunately, as they say, with little kids come little problems. Our children are still young enough that there has not been anything too grand, but at the time, and to them, things can be a big deal. Discernment and flexibility are the key.
I also struggle with my balance as a working mother. I don’t like to admit that I am a working mom because I value the ability to focus on taking care of the home and my family most. But I do have a wonderful career and I recognize that it’s partially responsible for teaching the children other important life lessons and it has provided them with an outlet for music as well. It also nourishes another side of me that I believe keeps my spirits fresh for them.
So many days I think about having a tidy house or home-baked goods ready when our children need them most. Because of the demands of keeping up my music and the business of it, I fall short of these ideals many days. But I can feel in my bones, it is not right to give up my music. Not yet anyway. Although I would in a single heartbeat if I knew I had to. There is no comparison between it and motherhood.
I’ve had my decades of attending to my career. Without happy children, it is pointless. But with happy children and a thriving music career, it is life at its fullest and best. And if Donnell and I can keep the balance right, I’m having my cake and eating it too!
