I have become that mom.
I'm the one who shows up over three hours late for school registration and endures the rolling eyes of parent volunteers who can't imagine anything more important than standing in long lines to fill out identical information on 11 different forms -- the same information, by the way, from the packet I sent back to school only a week late last year.
I used to be on the other side of the table, the one who watched the moms who showed up at school in their business suits, fresh lipstick and high heels. I used to sigh quietly, judging them just a bit for their choices, for not putting their kids first, for picking their career over family. I used to feel pretty smug about it, too, because I saw myself as making all the right choices.
Sure, I talked the right talk and said polite things in public. I'd say things like, "Oh, I admire working moms, because they have it so much harder than me. I don't know how they get it all done. I could never do that." Or sometimes when I was talking to a working mom, I'd tell her, "You know, it's all about choices. As long as yours fit your values and your lifestyle, that's all that matters." But inside I had my own opinion about the kinds of values that a working mom must have to make the choices she did.
On the inside, I was judging. I was weighing her choices in the balance and believing that mine were far superior. I was so involved with my kids that I often lobbied for new PTA committees that I could run. I was the teacher's right hand man. I was "in" with the school administration, and it felt really good.
And to be honest, I loved my life the way it was. It worked for me, and it was a privilege to get to stay home. I wouldn't trade any other choice for the time I got to do that, because it made me happy and, thus, made my kids happy.
When my husband and I sat down five years ago and talked about the changes that would come if I did, indeed, launch my own company, APPCityLife, we talked about what it would mean for our home life. We made the choice together that it was worth it and that I should pursue this passion.
Let me just say I had absolutely no idea what I was in for. I knew I'd be busy and that my time wouldn't be completely my own anymore. I knew that there would be events at school that I'd have to miss and that sometimes, my youngest would have to let himself into an empty house. I figured that there would be a trip here and there that would mean that the older kids would have to step up and help out with things around the house and with watching their younger sibling. But I had absolutely no idea the extent of the demands that would be placed on me or how little of my time would actually be my own. It's probably a good thing I didn't know what was coming, because I might have missed out on one of the most challenging, exciting and rewarding experiences of my life.
And so now I've come full circle to being that mom -- the one I used to judge. Now I miss some of my kid's school events because of a meeting with a client. Supper is late almost every night, and it isn't the gourmet version we enjoyed when I stayed home. Actually, far more often than I ever thought possible, supper is a carton of leftovers eaten cold at 9 p.m. when I finally make it home. I've had 24 hours on the ground between business trips in separate countries, and the bottom of the laundry basket hasn't been spotted in months. The fold and delivery service I used to provide to my family has become more of a that-basket-of-laundry-is-clean-so-dig-around-and-find-what-you-need service. And I've even had to tag team a pediatrician appointment with my husband so we could get our sick kid to the doctor and still make our meetings. I'm sure that one raised eyebrows, but I was too busy rushing out of the examining room to get to city hall on time to even notice or care what anyone else thought.
So the next time you look at someone and judge her as being that mom -- whichever side of the table you find yourself on -- just remember that life might just give you the opportunity to walk in her shoes, and you may find you like it.
This post originally appeared on Mama CEO.