While exploring the theme of freedom, @billytheked expressed hopes of becoming a father one day and requested that I write something about experiencing freedom as a parent.

Which immediately left me stumped because my stance has always been that I have given up my life for my kids’ sake. If truth be told, I sometimes find it a tough and bitter pill to swallow. I used to be active, traveling solo (even after marriage) and attending networking events. These days, I rush home straight after work to indulge in rare sweet solace (read: a nap) before I hustle to pick up my kids from the childcare centre.

Suffice it to say that parenting is an identity that I don’t take to like a duck to water. I struggle with it every day, some days deeper than others.

Though the interesting thing is that my life has become inextricably intertwined and aligned after I became a father. Specifically this year. I made a career switch to become an elementary school teacher in July. The reason was that I wanted to enrol my son in the same primary school I would be teaching at.

Streamlining my life. Every morning, we go to school together. Every evening, we go home together and pick up my daughter from the preschool. Staying at my previous job would have necessitated mind-boggling jiggling, much like a circus acrobat juggling knives in the air. No thanks. I strove to simplify my life.

Of course, ideally I didn’t want my son to be in the same school as me because he shouldn’t have to grow up under my shadow. Nonetheless, the unexpected perk was that I am feeling more unflappable towards work these days.

How is that so? Let me explain.

As a member of the Science department, I was recently put in charge of ensuring that all my colleagues submit their assigned portion for the Process Skills package. Yes, it was a menial and thankless task. But since I was sending my son to my school, I found renewed motivation to go the extra mile to ensure that my colleagues were on the same page in regard to teaching and learning. For if we weren’t not aligned, how on earth were we supposed to create magic in the classroom?

So, even though I didn’t have to do it, I went ahead to map out the process skills in an easy-to-digest document. Admire my masterpiece.

This may or may not translate to better learning outcomes for my son because who knows if his Science teacher will have a firm grasp of the scope and sequence of these process skills. But I think this is not the point. My conviction stems from giving of my best in hopes that my son would benefit from my Proof of Work. I shouldn’t be preoccupied with the woulda shoulda coulda’s.

So I guess this is freedom in parenthood for me. As a salaried employee, I am at the bottom of the pecking table. But my spirit remains resolutely free because of my son. I don’t ruminate over last-minute work thoughtlessly dispatched by my higher-ups. My mind thinks about how I can transcend this unwanted obstacle into something beneficial for my son. And thus, my soul sings because I am still my own person.

Thank you for asking me, @billytheked