It is amazing to me how in this day and age of tolerance for all, that stay-at-home-moms are STILL poorly and inaccurately judged. I know because I deal with this from members of my OWN FAMILY no less.
As much as they love little G, they STILL think me working to provide more money for more STUFF while she sits in a daycare all day, missing home is still somehow better. I'm seen as lazy, that I don't want to work, and that I have no responsibilities except to entertain a toddler all day. What they don't get is that it takes SO MUCH mental and physical endurance that if THEY had to do it for a week they would be climbing the walls! I mean, housework is seriously physical! All the bending, lifting, back and forth motions, constant walking, stepping up stairs, and being on your feet is a real workout! Now, I will admit that I could do better on the home front with managing cleaning, etc. but this article says it sooo well. What takes someone without children 15 minutes to do, takes me 45 minutes to do.
A perfect example would be trying to get ready for a party I was having a few weeks ago. A very informal thing, but I was having guests over and had to do a lot to prepare! Every time I cleaned something, G went right behind me and messed it back up. When I got to the point where I needed to fix the food for the party, I had to stop everything to feed her, which seems to take FOREVER! If I vacuumed, she crumbled up a cookie, if I wiped down a glass door, she just had to smear it with WHATEVER! So preparing for this little hour long party literally took me 8 or 9 hours. Before baby, I would have gotten started on it a few hours before and would have been done! But with baby, as ya'll know...it aint that easy!!!
I guess I'm on a rant because lately I've been made to feel like I'm not contributing. But I just have to keep up the good fight because my daughter and I are IMMENSELY happy and content. And when it's all said and done, that's what it's all about.
I've read this article before, and at the end, my mouth was hanging open in disbelief.
ReplyDeleteI know that what I'm doing is important, and so does my husband, and so does God. Everyone else can BITE ME if they don't like it.
Well....you know what I mean.
I'm sorry people have tried to make you feel bad. I remember that people would say I was wasting my degree by just staying home, especially as my kids got older. I've never for a minute regretted that decision though. Know that what you're doing is the best thing for your daughter and that's all that matters.
ReplyDeleteI've read this article before too, and I love it.
ReplyDeleteI have a joke that I remind my husband about as needed. (It's not very often. He's a great guy.)
There is this man who came home from work. He immediately noticed the yard was a mess of toys. He actually had to park on the street due to bikes in the driveway. Upon entering the house things were worse. Dishes overflowed the sink. The garbage needed taking out. When he found his children they were coloring on the walls. Flabbergasted, the man went in search of his wife. He found her asleep in bed with her head buried under the blankets. "What is going on?" he demanded. His wife poked her head out sleepily and said, "You know how you come home and ask me what I did all day? . . . Well, today I didn't do it."
All you SAHMs out there. Give yourself a hug!