Giving Credit (a re-post)

(Note: This post is reblogged from the past. Yeah, well, I’m kinda busy. Tax season and all that…)

It’s almost Tax Day.

And as usual, in spite of my oh-so honest intentions to get my butt in gear and get my forms in on time, I will confess that I’m filing an extension.
Again.

I do have a perfectly good excuse, however — actually, make that two perfectly good excuses: my daughters.

See, I’ve been busy cooking and cleaning and shuttling them to school and shopping and sleepovers and afterschool stuff… Oh yeah, and then there’s that job I’ve been working to pay for many of the aforementioned activities.

I’m not complaining, though. It’s what parents do. And my girls are the light of my life, and so very, very worth everything I do for them.

But on Tax Day, I get a bit more appreciative of how much they mean to me.

This year, it’s around $2,000.

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Giving Credit

They truly are annoying when they whine or when they fight,
when complaining about homework or a shoe that won’t tie right;
plus, they’re noisy and they’re stinky and they cost a lot to feed,
and it seems there’s always some new toy they really, REALLY need.

They keep us from our sleep and leave us stretched from all the stress;
they muddy up the floors and leave their rooms a massive mess;
they dismiss and disobey us and then question all our knowledge;
they rebel and they revolt and then they leave or flee to college.

Yet though they test and tax us, we’re still glad for our kids’ births,
And today I have to say that I do realize their worth;
So even if they misbehave, for once I just won’t sweat it,
‘Cause I’m thankful for and so adore my beautiful tax credits.

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©2012 Carlotta Eike Stankiewicz

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A Limerick A Day – Day 13 – Triskaidekaphobia

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Here’s today’s entry for my self-imposed Limerick-A-Day Challenge. Happy Wednesday the 13th.

Triskaidekaphobia

Because triskaidekaphobes fear
The number 13, they steer clear
Of building floors numbered
Or Fridays encumbered
With digits like these when they’re near.

For me, though, thirteen isn’t scary;
It’s of people who are that I’m wary.
If you’ve met just one teen
Then you get what I mean:
So much drama, it’s scary — very.

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©2013 Carlotta Eike Stankiewicz
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A Limerick A Day – Day 12 – Moms at Work

 
Between the Yahoo no-working-at-home kerfuffle and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” movement, there are a lot of people out there giving mothers advice on how and how not to work. So what’s new?

For women, balancing parenting with non-parenting work is a big challenge and will continue to be, as long as we continue to be the gender that gives birth (not gonna change anytime soon) and shoulder most of the childcare responsibility in our society (changing, but slooowwwwly).

One thing that can change: how we talk about our roles.  I’m not trying to be Politically Correct when I say that I don’t like the term “working mother.” To me it’s not only redundant, it’s exclusionary, at least the way it’s currently used. Having been both a stay-at-home mom and a work-outside-the-home mom, I contend that both types are “working mothers.” For now, let’s just use the abbreviated “WOHM” and “SAHM.” Maybe not the most elegant terms, but they’re what I’m using until someone (me? you?) comes up with something better.

And while we’re on the subject, please let’s get rid of the phrase “full-time mom.” I became a mom nearly 16 years ago, and I don’t think I’ve been off the clock one day or hour since.

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On the Redundancy of the Term “Working Mother”

Whether home-based or job-bound, it’s irking
To suggest other mothers are shirking
Some female ideal –
Can’t the world just get real
And then say that ALL mothers are working?

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©2013 Carlotta Eike Stankiewicz

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