This fall, as my daughter loads up her backpack and heads off to kindergarten for the very first time, her mom will be packing up her books and lunch right alongside her. This fall, my wife is going back to school.
My wife and I actually met at university as so-called mature students—I had graduated with my undergrad degree a few years prior, but was taking a fifth year to upgrade some credits for a (failed) run at teacher's college; my wife had gone to college and worked for a few years before deciding to do a university degree. So, going "back" to school is nothing particularly new to either of us. But I'll admit, after this long, I sort of thought we were done.
Then one night . . .
"I'm thinking about doing a Master's, is that crazy?"
In one sense, the answer is . . . probably. I mean, we're not struggling financially by any means, but we're certainly not sitting on piles and piles of disposable income. We're carrying a fair bit of consumer debt and this is going to add to that burden.
But that's not the answer I gave nor is it the answer I believe.
My wife worked in politics for quite a few years before deciding to start her own business from home. She's growing her business slowly but surely, and starting to carve out a niche for herself. This, in and of itself, is an amazing thing for my daughter to get to see firsthand. A strong, independent woman making a name for herself in a career she's passionate about? That's top-shelf role modelism.
But she also saw a chance to make herself more of an asset for her clients and, at the same time, indulge one of her great passions—learning. She's showing my daughter that life doesn't have to follow a predetermined path, that careers don't have to be cookie cutter. And most importantly, she's doing something brave. She's taking a chance and following her passion.
I've written before about how glad I am my wife is a strong woman. She's an amazing mother and a large part of that stems from the fact that she's living the sort of life I hope my daughter grows up to live.
"I'm thinking about doing a Master's, is that crazy?"
No, Amy. I think it's fucking amazing.
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