What Are Mothers Good For?

I don't know where that topic came from, but I'm wondering that right now. The downloads with iStock are flooding in, yet my bubble of euphoria is burst by my illustration application being rejected. Again. Me=failure. Never mind that I've never fancied myself a photographer, let alone an illustrator, and I've spent, maybe, 20 total hours with a free vector illustration program. Yet I'm making more on photography than I have on anything else in years. And I'm not doing much to get there, either. Just snapping photographs. Like that's hard.

So, I guess I'm wondering why I'm so deflated over the vector rejection (it's not like I can't try again). I'm not an illustrator, or a photographer, or a writer - not really. I'm a mother. In another window I have the upcoming homeschool plan open. I'm up to November planning with math, still in October for the other areas. I plan to plan through the end of December, then I'll do the planning for spring during Christmas break.

This is a task of motherhood, something I'm good for. The other stuff, that's just me having a little fun, and really, I should be glad vector isn't an option (yet!) because I don't have enough spare time for it.

Now, for the sake of being sappy and sentimental, what are mothers good for? Kissing hurts, sending naughties to time-out, rationing glue, baking muffins. Saying, "No dear, we don't put markers up our noses!" We're good for teaching our children how to read, how to trust, how to be honest, how to love. I'm not succeeding as well as I'd like on those things. So why not focus my energy there, and let vector shapes and squiggles go for a while.