Leaning - A Song/Poem

I wrote this from both the perspective of a working mom and a stay-at-home mom.
 
Hope you enjoy it.

Leaning

“Please don’t go, mama,”

My daughter said to me.
“I love you and I want to play
Instead why must you leave?”

I know I made the right choice for me

To work full time for our family
I enjoy my work and the progress I’ve made
To advance in my career and earn what I get paid

But it’s hard sometimes to justify

Missing events as time flies by
Kids grow up so damn fast
Those precious moments they don’t last

Lean in they say, don’t hold back

Don’t let your career get off track
But what if you want to be there at night
To tuck them in and turn out the light

Help them learn the social graces

Teach them to tie their shoe laces
Go on field trips and read to the class
Watch each and every soccer pass
 
But there never seems to be enough time
To be the parent you want, while meeting deadlines
Always connected to work email
Trying to shut down to no avail
Staying late and being top brass
That’s when I think, “Lean in, my ass.”

Chorus

Having it all, there is no such thing
Sometimes life's great, and sometimes it stings
The grass may seem greener on the other side
But each lawn has weeds, it can't be denied
Leaning in or back both come at a price
All we can do is try to be nice
To ourselves and to each other
It’s time we start championing mothers
 
“Please come to career day, mama,”
My daughter said to me.
"There will be doctors, lawyers and teachers
And you who’s just my mommy."

I know I made the right choice for me

To stay at home with my family
But sometimes I miss the chaos and din
Of working in an office away from my kin

The rush I would get from closing a deal

And wearing stylish clothes that had real appeal
Instead I’m dressed in yoga gear
Though I haven’t worked out in over a year

My days are filled with laundry and art

Car pools and stickers and Kellogg’s pop tarts
Wiping little noses and squeezing out glue
Avoiding that dreaded question, what is it again that you do?

I love my kids and am glad I’ve been there
To witness their firsts and give them great care
But sometimes I feel like my life is on hold
Just biding my time until I get old

Wasting the money I spent on my degree

By staying at home with no focus on me
But there never seems to be enough time
For adult conversation or expanding my mind
Career fulfillment, has taken a pass
That's when I think, "Lean back, my ass.”
 
Chorus

Having it all, there is no such thing

Sometimes life's great, and sometimes it stings
The grass may seem greener on the other side
But each lawn has weeds, it can't be denied
Leaning in or back both come at a price
All we can do is try to be nice
To ourselves and to each other

It’s time we start championing mothers