• Home
  • As seen on …
    • Advocacy Work
  • About the writer
  • Contact Me
  • Portfolio
  • Get Involved
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Kathryn Mayer • Writing Out Loud

I write stuff down. writer • humorist • activist

Who Did You Used To Be?

September 20, 2010 by Kate Mayer 8 Comments

Do you know what careers your friends had pre-kids?

Wanna play a game?

Okay, you’re at bookclub or sitting on the soccer sidelines or waiting at the bus stop. Ask your mom-friends who they used to be before kids. And be prepared to be wowed.

A pathologist. Photographer. Outward bound leader. Psych Nurse. Chef. IT professor. Nanny. Pharmacist. Sports trainer. Novelist. Bartender. HR specialist. Ophthalmologist. Horse trainer. Financial consultant. Editor. Rabbi. Peace corp volunteer. Construction buyer. Para-legal.

Really. These are just some of the people I see every day and didn’t have a clue to their pre-kid lives, because frankly, I didn’t care to ask. But now that I’m back at work, even part-time, I’m intrigued by all the careers and jobs held by my friends in their past. How bizarre it is I know intimate details about their lives, but not this vital link. It shows how focused we are on our children, but also how quickly we as women seem to evaporate.

Our lives before kids seem silly and insignificant when you’re neck deep in kid-crises: temper tantrums, car seats, unidentified rashes, driving lessons, and the benefits of tampons. But there will come a time when lives before kids will inspire, encourage and clearly show you the way to go back to work when you’re good and ready.

And you will be, perhaps not today, but someday. You will regain your identity and not forfeit the coveted mom crown, but instead wear it even more proudly when you realize there is another world out there that perhaps you forgot, but not to worry. It hasn’t forgotten you.

Go ahead, ask around. Who did you used to be? Who surprised you the most?


On-Ramper is Road Kill: I’m Going Back to Work
Are You Ready to Go Back To Work?

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    September 20, 2010 at 4:54 pm

    You absolutely need to stay connected, nice blog

    Reply
  2. dottie says

    September 20, 2010 at 8:22 pm

    Once again, I love your blog. This is the reason those of us with slightly younger kiddos refer to you behind your back and to your face as “the great OZ.” It’s not only the sex facts, teacher/cluster info, warnings, etc and hand-me-downs (or ups for us) that you share but the clever and witty insights you share on your blog. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  3. Michelle Saunderson says

    September 21, 2010 at 5:20 pm

    I could have written this blog. I am so glad to have found someone else who understands my world.

    Reply
  4. Kathy (Return-to-Work Mom) says

    September 21, 2010 at 7:51 pm

    Hey Michelle! You did write this blog… well, not you, but the collective you. The more I tell people I’m working, I find this longing look in their eyes… mostly from those w/kids too young for the mom to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But it’s there! Just remember who you were and the mom-thing will only accentuate the previous you. I get it. I really do.

    Reply
  5. Amanda says

    October 18, 2010 at 7:32 am

    You know, though– unless I get into my Dream Job, my job will be just that thing I do for money and to get out of the house. It won’t define me, because chances are that it won’t end up furthering a cause I really believe strongly in. For many people, both men and women, careers are a means to an end, rather than something that gives real insight to personality.

    Reply
  6. Kathy (p/t writer, f/t mom) says

    October 18, 2010 at 12:05 pm

    I hear you Amanda! I work to buy bigger cleats for the kids… but as I sent my oldest to college, I realize this cleat-buying gig will also come in handy when I’m the last one here. At least give me some direction to what I want to — and not want to — do. Dream job, for me at this time, is the cleat/mom thing. May change in the future, but definitely a means to an end! thx for comment

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Ann Taylor Loft Customer Service Woes says:
    January 30, 2015 at 2:37 am

    […] perfect stop for moms that want to remember life before yoga pants. A grown up world without being old fogey; chic clothes for cool working women, […]

    Reply
  2. Deciding when it's time to go back to work after kids says:
    February 4, 2015 at 9:24 pm

    […] many, many signs it’s time to rediscover the pre-kid you, and set some groundwork for the post-kid you. Because if you do your parenting job right, they […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Never Miss A Post!
Enter your email address below to receive updates in your Inbox.
No Spam. Promise.
Rams hubbard
Follow @kathykatemayer Tweets by @kathykatemayer

Categories

Lucky Me!

Archives

About Kathryn Mayer

Kathryn Mayer

An irreverent storyteller with a foul mouth and big heart, Kathryn Mayer (aka Kathy and/or Kate) is a writer, humorist, and (former) activist writing out loud with humor and grace about little life moments with big ripples, including the space between parenting and aging parents, social issues, angsty reflections of midlife, and, sigh, gun humpers. Still. Sometimes a big deal, sometimes not Mayer is a national award-winning columnist, according to the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, and her essays have been recognized as Voice of … Read More Here...

Never Miss A Post!
Enter your email address below to receive updates in your Inbox.
No Spam. Promise.
75 kate[at]kathrynmayer[dot]com
xo Kate
  • Home
  • As seen on …
  • About the writer
  • Contact Me
  • Portfolio
  • Get Involved

Copyright © 2022 Kathryn Mayer Designed By: J9 Designs