Happy Mother's Day

I respect that my wife has the fortitude to take all 3 kids out into the community consistently. Seriously, I get tired just trying to corral them all into their carseats, but she takes them to story time, the store, the park, pretty much everywhere. As she is out, however, it's inevitable that somebody will approach her with the comment "You sure got your hands full!" Not offensive, really, but after hearing it countless times it can get a little old. Yes, we do have three children. Yes, they were all planned on. And yes, we enjoy all of them. Part of their comments may stem from the fact that my wife still looks like she's 15 (sorry, hon, you know it's true), and as annoying as these comments are they remind me of the "just a mom" phenomena that stay at home moms (or "SAHMs" as I just learned that they are called) have to deal with continually. The article below speaks to what this is all about better than I can:



"Whenever I happen to bump into someone, especially someone I haven’t seen in a while the one question that’s always asked is, “So, what do you do for a living?” It’s inevitable.
For the first year after I made the choice to stay at home with my two young children I would respond to this question by stating, “I’m a mom.” But, after twelve months of hearing, “oh, that must be so nice” or “aren’t you lucky” and the best of all, “I would love not to work” I started resenting those comments.
Yes, it is nice. As a matter of fact it’s wonderful to be home with my children and I do consider myself extremely lucky. But this luck does not come without sacrifice and hard work. I too have a “daily grind”. I work hours that extend well past the typical nine to five and I don’t get personal time off or sick days. My work follows me even when I’m on vacation. I’m on call twenty-four hours a day. And, perhaps most difficult in this day and age, is raising and supporting a family with only one income. This is where the sacrifices come into play. Before I made the decision to stay home with our children we would go out to eat or go to the movies. If we saw something we liked (within reason) we would buy it. Those days are over. With only one income it is difficult to be able to afford a babysitter for an evening, let alone spend a night out. There have been times and instances when I have felt as though I had no life, no outlet and certainly, no privacy.
So, why do I do it? Well, that's easy. The rewards heavily outweigh the sacrifices. It is difficult to put into words how wonderful and special it is to be with my children and have them with me. They are being raised as I see fit. They are being taught the morals and values that I want them to learn. We have a wonderful bond, a relationship that we never could have achieved if I was working out of the home. I was there when they took their first steps and said their first words. I nursed their first cuts and scrapes and shared in their joy of their first accomplishments.
It took a long time for me to figure it out, but yes, I do have a job. Even though I do not leave my home to work I am a success. I’m a professional chef, seamstress, engineer, inventor, nurse, teacher and God willing an author, just to name a few.
My only regret is that it took me this long to discover that I have accomplished a great deal, that what I do has much purpose and has improved myself, my family and our environment more than words can say. I am a professional, in every sense of the word.
If you happen to be someone who has opted to or is thinking about making the move to become a stay at home mom you need to remember your importance in the general scheme of things. Your children love you, need you and want you, even though it may not always appear that way. You play a vitally important role in others' lives and what you do sets the example for your children's lives as well. There is no other job in the world that has the supreme influence and impact on another's life as mothering does. Never forget who you are and how important your role is.
So remember, if you are a stay at home mom and someone asks you what you do for a living you respond, “I am very lucky to have the best job in the world. I do a little bit of everything. I put in long hours but the pay is great!” and leave it at that."



Any dad who has ever stayed at home for more than three hours with the kids without resorting to sticking them in front of the TV knows how much of an escape that going to work can be. I just want my wife to know how much I respect her for what she does with my kids. It's sad today that so much of what counts for "success" or "fulfillment" in life is measured from a career-oriented (or, more accurately, male-oriented) perspective. The most fulfilling role in my life is that of a father, and I'm really grateful that I have a wife that shares this view. I'm a lucky man.