You’ve got job security, Mom

By Courtney Conover –  To moms everywhere, Your day might be over and the house may finally be calm and quiet as you read this, but we all know your job is far from done.
You’re probably the first one up in the morning, yet you’re the last one in bed at night.
You can’t buy a sick day for all the tea in China.
And you already know that there never seems to be enough time in the day to fold the laundry, write out bills, shuttle the kids to and from dance class and soccer practice, get dinner on the table, tackle the household shopping, and still manage to assist little Joey with his science project (Where’s a pipe cleaner when you need one?)
You love this job, and you wouldn’t trade it for the world – that much is true.
But then there are also those times.
Times when you moan and groan because it’s a grind, and often, a never-ending and thankless one.
But guess what?
You’ve got staying power.
Your children are not going to wake up one morning and say, “You know what? I’m putting you on the bench this week, Mom,” or, worse, “Thanks, but your services are no longer needed so you’ve just been released.”
Nope.
Your kids know that mom isn’t going anywhere.
From the fruit snacks in the cupboard right down to that fresh roll of toilet paper in the bathroom, your kids know that mom put it there.
Despite the eruption of little earthquakes like the discovery of crayons in the dryer, overflowing toilets, and toddler meltdowns, virtually nothing rattles you.
Your kids are also secure in the knowledge that you have the uncanny ability – some might call it clairvoyance – to locate that favorite sweatshirt that has gone missing; the strength to withstand sitting on steel bleachers during a football game that is being played in an arctic blast; and the compassion to soothe even the worst pain – both physical or emotional – with a hug and a kiss.
And, frankly, you’ve been working hard and stepping up to the plate since day one, from the moment your child was placed into your arms:  They don’t call it labor for nothing.
And since that time, life has presented its fair share of roadblocks. Regardless, you still find a way to look fear and adversity in the face.
And laugh at it.
You are the single mother who wants to chaperone your child’s field trip – you really, truly do – but you also want to keep the lights on and if you don’t work, you don’t receive pay.
You are the mother who willingly – and mightily – serves this country to protect our nation’s freedoms.
You are the mother – the warrior – who someway, somehow finds a way to smile and maintain even a modicum of positivity when cancer won’t let up.
And although you may be tired and overwhelmed at times, you manage to keep all the balls in the air anyway.
With regard to virtually all positions in the private sector, job security is shaky, at best.
But not here at home.
No, Mom, there will never, ever be a pink slip with your name on it.
Because you are needed, you are appreciated, and you are loved.
To moms everywhere, thank you for all that you do.
Wayne resident Courtney Conover is a mom of two and the wife of former Detroit Lions offensive lineman Scott Conover. She is a contributing writer to the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series and USA Football and is also a certified yoga instructor. Visit her online at The Brown Girl with Long Hair blog (http://www.thebrowngirlwithlonghair.com) and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/thebrowngirlwithlonghair).