Miss Katie Confesses

Miss Katie and one of her Kindermusik students

I have a problem. I’m caught in the existential dilemma that many, if not most women face: I’m a dreamer, a self-starter, and someone who needs to be doing something at all times. I need people, challenge, and direction to feel fulfilled. And I have goals… too many goals. However, I also want to be a mommy one day, and a wonderful mommy at that. Herein lies the problem: for some reason, I have always seen having a thriving, fulfilling career and being a great mom as being incompatible. Being an all-or-nothing kind of person, it’s hard for me to understand how I could balance the two and be great at both.

But when I look around my classrooms, I see as many different ways of parenting as I do parents. Each of you bring so many wonderful things to the table because of your personalities, your backgrounds, and your talents. I see nurses and lawyers, business owners and teachers, psychologists and photographers, who are also mommies and daddies. I see stay-at-home moms and a few stay-at-home dads, and more than one stay-at-home grandma. I DON’T see a formula; I see real people doing the best they can at raising their children, and doing a phenomenal job. Parenting is messy, and you’re way, way down in the dirt.

Here’s my confession (please don’t tell my bosses): while I’m supposed to be teaching you how to parent, you’re really teaching me. When my day comes, I will be a better mommy; not because I stay home full time, and not because I’m a Kindermusik Educator, but because I have seen great parenting modeled for me over and over and over again by you. Thank you for showing me that it’s possible to be a terrific momma and a real, breathing, goal-pursuing person at the same time.

-written by Miss Katie, who is NOT pregnant, but thanks for asking. (At least she’d better not be…)