If youre as big of a Greys Anatomy fan as I am, then you likely remember that phenomenal quote from the beloved Meredith Grey in the episode I Bet It Stung (Season 10, Episode 5). I think many mothers love Greys Anatomy because Meredith often embodies the Super Woman we all dream of becoming: skilled, successful, and a superior mother. In this episode, though, we learn just how difficult it is to balance this type of life.

Here's what I learned my first day at medical school. Think long and hard before choosing to become a surgeon. It takes 100% commitment. You have to be on your A game every single time you walk into that OR. When patients are lying on your table, completely at your mercy, they need to know that when you make that first cut you know what you're doing. No other specialty requires the time, the focus, the complete dedication... Except maybe being a mom.

While I never dreamed of becoming a surgeon, I can wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment behind this internal monologue. After all, the life of a surgeon especially a world class one like Meredith Grey is no easy feat. As we all know, though, the same could be said for motherhood.

Like a surgeon, a mother must remain on her A Game every moment of every day. Theres no off season for moms, and slacking only adds to your workload later on. Just like one wrong step in a routine procedure can cause a medical emergency, one mistake in parenting starts a snowball that has lasting effects (sometimes for a lifetime). You constantly question if youre permanently screwing up your kid as you make the best choices given your often limited knowledge, just like a doctor wonders if their cure will actually fix the patients problem.

Surgeons deal with blood and guts; moms deal with sticky substances of questionable origins along with boogers and fecal matter. Both jobs encounter germs and tiny lacerations, just in very different ways. Because of this, though, both arent jobs for the faint of heart or easily squeamish types.

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Just a surgeon outlines worst-case scenarios before any operation, you must account for everything, even the unexpected (which will inevitably happen eventually). Your purse becomes like a triage kit, armed and ready for any childhood emergency from boredom to hunger to any kind of accident. You carefully map out landmines to avoid, exit strategies, and resting spots for any adventure outside of the house. You learn to work well under pressure and think on your feet because, well, you have absolutely no choice to handle life any other way when tiny humans are involved.

Surgeons scrub their hands a lot; moms scrub lots and lots of laundry. Both try to keep their work areas clean and sanitary, just for slightly different reasons. Because of this, though, both moms and doctors go through lots and lots of soap.

Like a surgical unit times every procedure and organizes each doctors schedule, you as a mother have to map out each day with great precision then remain flexible enough to fly by the seat of your pants when one of your children throw a wrench in your plans. Sometimes a surgeon finds additional complications in the middle of an operation; sometimes a mother finds that a trip to the grocery store isnt in the cards because someone woke up with a fever or forgot about that science project thats due the next day.

While motherhood may often feel like a thankless job that pays far less in a lifetime than a surgeon makes in just a year, theyre honestly equally stressful and taxing jobs in their own unique way. Were both in the business of impacting lives, albeit in very different ways. Although doctors often seem like theyre rolling in riches while they drive around cars that cost more than our whole house, I think that mothers get the better payout when its all said and done. After all, when a surgeon rarely sees a patient again after they perform a life-saving procedure, we mommies get to watch our hard work grow and continue to amaze us for the rest of our lives.

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Shonda Rhimes Compared Motherhood To Being A Surgeon Grey's Anatomy - Moms