Letting Go

When you become a mother, people start warning you against wearing "mom jeans" or "letting yourself go". The idea is to not use motherhood as an excuse to become frumpy. For someone like me, who has always been a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl, that's a good reminder. I've never been much into fashion, partly because with a limited clothing budget, I could never justify spending money on trendy outfits that would be out of style within six months. And I'd rather be comfortable than wear tight, sexy clothes. Even when working at Ben Bridge, I'd wear classy suits with slacks and flat, comfortable shoes, because I hate nylons and high heels (especially when you have to stand in them for 8 hours). But I have to admit, motherhood (and pregnancy especially) can sometimes cause me to get lazy about the way I look, especially since kids have a tendency to get spots on whatever you're wearing. It's probably something I could work on more, though, like wearing make-up a little more often. After all, my husband still has to look at me and be seen with me in public.

This morning I was driving home from the grocery store when I spotted three fashionable career women chatting over lattes outside of Starbucks. Hair perfectly coifed, trendy business suits, high heels...they looked on top of the world. Everyone wonders what it would be like to live a different life sometimes, and I found myself thinking about what it would be like to be heading to the office today, instead of heading home in my T-shirt and maternity pants to put away groceries and get a toddler ready for her nap. Who knows? Maybe those women are mothers too, with their kids off in daycare somewhere. Or maybe they're single and carefree. As nice as it might be to walk in their fashionable shoes for a while, I know I'd miss my babies and long to be home with them again. We all make choices and trade-offs, and I'm pretty satisfied with mine.