“Hello. How are you today?” Walk into any store or approach a cashier and the response is rote. Once in awhile a clerk will throw out a new greeting and ask about the weekend, past or future. This is a little too personal but manageable. A few months ago, a friend of mine got a doozy of a greeting at checkout, “What did you do today?”

Bags loaded with more than groceries.

She was tongue-tied. I don’t remember how she responded but I felt her pain when she relayed the experience to me. What do you say? Out of politeness, we feel compelled to answer honestly but the answer isn’t what we want to report. Laundry. Groceries. Meals. We are moms. We like our role and are blessed to focus our energies on our families. But somehow we want to say something exciting like, “I got really close to brokering world peace.” Or, “I built a faster rocket today.”

A mom’s accomplishments are difficult to measure in an elevator pitch kind of way. If we were a business, we might say, “Client prep. I’m in the personal development field.” (Translation, “I made breakfast and lunch for (number) and drove the brood to school. I raise kids.”) Of course the veiled answer begs for more information so you might add, “I counsel clients on how to be a well-mannered, educated and kind person so they can contribute to the community and make the world a better place.”

“Wow! That sounds so important! That job must be so rewarding.”

“You know it is in the long run, important and rewarding. Short term it’s hard to see because it seems I’m doing the same thing over and over. Then one day, whatever I’ve been teaching takes hold and the task is all theirs. It takes years to develop a client into a great person.”

“Have you been doing this long?”

“Yes. I’ve been at it for fifteen years and I don’t see it ever ending.”

“Wow! You sound so experienced. You must be really good at what you do.”

“Well I like to think I’m good a what I do. It’s like any job; you have good days and bad days. As soon as I think I’ve got it down, the client’s needs change. And no two clients are a like, ever.”

“How do you choose your clients?”

“Luck. Really, it’s like being a cashier; you can’t choose your customers. You get what you get. Generally I can choose the number of clients. And I’m really glad to have them or I would be out of a job, just like you.”

“Is it hard to get a job like yours?”

“Well, it is work to get up and running. It’s helpful to find a partner first or the job could be really difficult. You have to choose carefully because you are literally married to the person. Now days, it isn’t necessary to buddy up, but decades ago, it was almost the only way to go, a partnership.”

“Is it better to have lots of partners?”

“I really don’t think so, too many cooks if you know what I mean. One is best but sometimes temps are necessary if too much is going on or a break is in order. The clients don’t like it very much but they really appreciate you when you come back.”

“Can you get this type of job anywhere?”

“Oh you can get this job anywhere in the world! And you can take your work with you anywhere you go too. I like California; it makes me happy. If I’m happy the client is happy.”

“Is your job recession proof?”

“Oh yes. There is definitely job security. You are never out of the job unless something happens to your client. In a bad economy, you might have to cut back on your services given higher prices and all. Again, the client doesn’t like change but they will understand and go along with the program.”

“Gosh! It sounds like your clients love you no matter what! You never have to look for another job. “

“Yes, my clients love me a lot and I really love them too. I’m glad I don’t ever have to look for anything new. We are really close and I just couldn’t handle anything different. I think we’d all be devastated without each other. How could we go on? I don’t even want to think about it.”

“How do you know you are doing a good job?”

State report.

“Well if the client seems happy and is promoted every year. I also get reports from the state to tell me how it’s all going outside of headquarters. In California it’s called the STAR test.”

“But don’t you get bored, same client same game plan?”

“Yes sometimes I get bored. A client can be stubborn and refuse to take your advice. Kind of like your customers pressing the wrong buttons on the payment machine no matter how many times you tell them to press the green button for accept. I just keep drilling in the same message and eventually things turn around. I have one client a few years further along so I know things will turn out ok for the second one. I staggered my clients but some of my peers took clients on all at once! No learning there but you take what you get.”

“How do you make it through the rough times?”

“I have to be patient and that is really difficult. Patience is hard for anyone, a never ending lesson no matter the profession or circumstance.

“What is the best part of your job?”

“Wow. That’s a tough one. There are so many rewards. Say I’m teaching the client how to do something like learning to walk. I hold their hands for weeks and months and one day they are on their own. Triumphant moments like this are a real highlight. I also like it when out of the blue the client gives you a hug or says thanks for helping them. It’s rare so when it happens I feel really good and I just love my job.”

“Does it pay well?”

Client appreciation.

“That depends. What is good for one person may not work for another. I like to see the way my clients evolve and I’m excited by each new development. This is payment enough for me most of the time. Slip in a hug or flowers and I’m rich! Financially speaking, I’m lucky because my partner manages revenues and I focus primarily on production. It’s a team effort.”

“Do you need training or a college degree?”

“Well, you don’t really need training or a college degree but it’s helpful. I temped a lot when I was a teenager so I got a pretty good glimpse of how to start my own business. I went to college because I wasn’t absolutely sure what I wanted to do for a career. I’m glad I did because I am better able to counsel my clients on a multitude of fronts.”

“So anyone can apply?”

“Yes. It’s a job everyone wants because it’s gratifying and no credentials required. Even people with high profile careers want a piece of the action like movie stars, CEOs and even the Princess of Wales. Like I said, the rewards are big. However, it’s been said it’s the hardest job in the world. Even Oprah states this one over and over.”

“Your job sounds like the best job in the world! I think I really want to give it a try. What exactly do you call yourself?”

“Mom.”