Yesterday on my blog, EconomistMom.com, I discussed how in seeking employment, we working moms are always looking for that balance between financial reward and quality of life.  The post starts with an intriguing column in the Washington Post ("When Play Becomes Work") that suggested that people who get too caught up with the money in their jobs might forget how to love their jobs--and hence, ironically, become less effective at their jobs.  The implication is that paying people higher wages might actually reduce the quality of their work--a very counterintuitive concept for someone trained in economics.  I segue from that odd-to-economists psychological theory to explain that although traditionally-trained economists are still behind the curve in learning about the not-exactly-rational psyche of the human mind, economic theory still "rationalizes" the diversity of jobs and pay out there and the fact that many people (especially moms) choose their jobs based on "love" over "money"--as long as we can afford it.  Would love to have other working mothers' perspectives on this issue.  How have you found that balance in your employment, perhaps in having a job that pays less than your potential market worth but offers you the flexibility and quality of (work-and-home) life that makes the continuous balancing act we perform a little more manageable?  Have you had a job before that you did primarily for money, and do you think that tended to sap your intrinsic motivation at that job (as the Washington Post column and the psychological research suggests)?  For those of you who have made the tradeoff away from the money and toward the "love", do you ever worry about the longer-term implications for your professional career, say, if you ever got to a point in your family's situation where you felt you were ready to get back into it for the money?  Visit my blog and either come join the conversation there, or comment right here on the MomBlog.