Living the Life You Love

I've been thinking about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. (Those of you who know me know that I have an embarassing addiction to People Magazine). You see them all the time dragging their kids on trains, planes and automobiles around the world. Then there are people like Kevin Federline who clearly should have a cork placed in his baby maker. He likes to party. Responsibility, and responsible parenting, don't seem to be his strong suit. Or think about world class athletes like Lance Armstrong. Are world-touring, hard-partying lifestyles or constant training - the kind of lives we might dream about - good for children and family?

This makes me wonder about living the life you love. Is it possible to realize your potential as a human being if you have kids and really be a good parent?

This is of course a biased view as there are millions of individuals all over the world who work like dogs every day their whole life and never achieve anything nearing personal excellence or fulfillment. So this question is for that minority who has the option to consider self improvement and personal achievement. Can you live the life you love, reach to your fullest potential and still achieve family happiness?

As a DINK, it's easier, but there's still a whole other person to consider. For example, The Boy and I have an agreed upon amount of money we can spend before we need to consult the other person. And of course, when making any life decisions determining jobs, etc. we always discuss these issues together. I recently decided to be adventurous and try out for an opportunity to take on my dream job of working for Rolling Stone. Could I do that if I had kids and really be the parent I would want to be? Probably not. Could I be an astronaut or a movie star or world class athlete? Yes, but at what price? Would my kids spend more time with nannies and having their routine disrupted? Probably.

What about my husband? All my life choices impact him as well, but without kids, do we have more flexibility? Probably a little. But we have both made many choices as couple that we wouldn't have made as individuals. It just so happens that The Boy digs when I do something a little crazy, so maybe I have a little more leeway. (As long as it doesn't drastically impact the bottom line!) Bottom line for this question is that the freedom to make any choice you want is a lonely path. I'm happy to make some concessions in order to maximize family Harmony with The Boy. So in this case, maybe PWK's (People With Kids) and DINK's aren't that different. As with many issues, it is a question of degrees.