I used to always find myself referring to motherhood as "my second full time job". To me, that was a perfect way to describe to others the level of intensity and dedication that motherhood demanded of me.

And then I read Shonda Rhimes' Book, 'Year of Yes'.



and in a few sentences, she turns on a lightbulb in my brain by saying...

"Being a mother is not a job. I find it offensive to motherhood to call being a mother a job. Being a mother isn't a job - it's who someone is. It's who I am. You can quit a job. I can't quit being a mother. I'm a mother forever. Mothers are never off the clock. Mothers are never on vacation. Being a mother redefines us. Reinvents us. Destroys and rebuilds us. Being a mother brings us face-to-face with ourselves as children. With our mothers as human beings. With our darkest fears of who we really are. Being a mother requires us to get it together or risk messing up another person forever... If all of that happened at work, I'd have quit 50 times already... Being a mother is incredibly important - do not diminish it by calling it a job."

Amen sister.