Incredible Woman #3 - LoriAnne Spear. Wednesday's questions

Kara: "You work outside of the home. Can you tell us the pros and cons of having an
outside job?"

LoriAnne: "Working outside the home was something I never wanted to do. I was proud in some ways of my mom, for always having the wherewithal to do it, but she also liked being out in the world with other adults, and she was very good at what she did. It was fulfilling to her. She was an example of a strong and independent woman, but I didn’t want to work outside the home, I wanted to stay home and “play house” so to speak. But economies and circumstances overruled, and I found myself looking for a job in 2006. With three boys who would all be doing college and LDS missions simultaneously, it wasn’t possible to keep pretending the money would appear from thin air. So, fortunately, I was able to get a job in the department at BYU where many of my old professors still were. That helped a lot, made me feel at home. Since I’ve been working these past three years, there are some things I’ve discovered. I like being out there… I’m good at what I do, and I enjoy the challenge, and I like being able to contribute something to our income. Of course, the drawbacks are that I can’t just drop everything and go to lunch with a friend, but actually in the past couple years, many of my friends have found themselves also working outside the home. We are in the same boat, and that helps in a big way. Not like it was for my mom, when most moms stayed home and mine didn’t. I give myself permission to not be perfect in housekeeping and laundry (well, I guess I have to admit that I’d already done that before the job, but now I can do it legitimately). Still, I’ve had to learn to speak up to my boss and let them know when I need to leave early or come in late if one of the kids needs me to, and now I don’t have a problem with that. They are still more important than the job, any day, and I’ll leave it if they need me."

Kara: "Your kids do a lot of extracurricular activities. I’ve been impressed with how organized you are when it comes to juggling all of these things. Tell us about those activities and talk about ways to “keep up with your kids”."
LoriAnne: "It’s really just keeping one calendar with all the activities listed for everyone on it. I also tape up all the schedules we get from coaches or teachers on the inside of my pantry door. It also helps that my boys are able to drive themselves to their activities, or pick up their sister from hers. Before they could, I wasn’t working and I was a real taxi driver. I used to think that I wanted to provide them with every opportunity under the sun, just so they have the chance to explore it: voice, sports, piano, community theater, dance, gymnastics, scouts. It was too much, and they weren’t enjoying their own lives. They were stressed. Let them choose one or two things, just make sure they have true interest in it, and you can honestly afford it."