10 Things a Stay At Home Mother Doesn’t Want to Hear

A recent article showed up in my Facebook newsfeed titled, “10 Things WorkingMothers Don’t Want to Hear”.  I was intrigued and read it.  I have it hyperlinked for you to read if you’re intrigued as well.

I have the upmost respect for working moms.  I totally understand that you work to provide for your children.  Who wouldn’t respect that?  I also feel like working moms and SAHMs (Stay At Home Moms) have been pinned against each other, and I really have no clue why.  I am a working mom; I just stay home and do not receive a monetary check each week.

So…here are my 10 Things a Stay At Home Mother Doesn’t Want to Hear.

1. Do you miss working?

I do work.  I take care of my Little Boy all day.  I feed him, change him, entertain him, and love him.  I am trying to keep a household running, while life is going on.  My “boss” is a 23-pound human who communicates with smiles, grunts, and cries.  When you ask this, are you asking if I miss the daily grind or getting a paycheck?

2.  It must be nice to stay home and do whatever you want. 

I do not get to do what I want everyday.  I have a to-do list to try and get through.  My number one priority is to keep Little Boy alive; if I can do that- it’s a success.  If I can keep him alive and get things on my to-do list crossed off, that is a really successful day!  When you say this, I feel like you’re implying that you’re better than me because you have the same routine to do everyday and I don’t.

3.  I bet you are learning all kinds of new recipes to make for Mr.!

New recipes?  Are you serious?  No, I’m not!  I need easy things to fix for supper.  I have a little hanging off of my hip the majority of the day.  When you say this, it may be meant as a conversation starter, but you really just opened a can of worms.

4. Do you feel like you wasted your degrees?

No.  I resigned from teaching right as this season of life was starting.  I have two degrees that will allow me to join the workforce again one day.  No college degree is ever wasted.  Why would you think that?

5. I would get so bored.

I promise you, you won’t.  There’s laundry that needs to be folded and put away.  When was the last time you mopped the kitchen and bathrooms?  How long have you been putting off dusting?  Oh, can you do this while a baby is a millimeter away from you?  Trust me, you will never be board. 

6. I just can’t do the stay at home thing.

You could.  It’s all about a lifestyle change.  Mr. and I figured out before Little Boy came the cost of daycare compared to staying home.  We saw that my entire paycheck would be going to cover the cost of day care, give or take a couple hundred dollars we could invest/save each moth.  I just couldn’t justify that extra money and sending my Little Boy to someone else to watch and teach.  I want to see all of his firsts.  I want to be the one who teaches him. 

7. Does your little get any socialization?

Yes!  Little Boy is put in the nursery every week at church.  He’s with other littles that are at the same developmental level he is at.  We also attend Mommy and Me music classes, and story time at the library each week.  Trust me, my Little Boy is plenty social.  Thanks for judging us.

8. Your husband must make a ton of money if you can stay home.

Mr. doesn’t make a ton of money.  First off, we both recognize that the money we receive from his paycheck isn’t ours.  It’s God.  We have to be good stewards with this money and make sure that we stretch every dollar we can.  It’s also helpful that we’re completely debt free, except for our home.  Dave Ramsey’s teachings will help you with becoming debt free- I promise!  Plus, didn’t your Momma ever teach you to not ask others about their financial situations?

9. Can you watch my child while I cut the grass, run to Dollar General, or work outside?

NO!  Just because I’m home, and outside enjoying the day with Little Boy does not mean that I am your free, personal babysitter.  Do not ever ask this. 

10. What do you do all day?

Well, I get up when Little Boy wakes up, feed him his morning bottle and entertain him for about an hour until he’s ready for his breakfast.  What’s he eat for breakfast?  Pancakes.  I make him pancakes and eggs every morning. 

Then we usually take a walk around the block, and I let him have some independent playtime so I can shower and clean up breakfast.  Did I mention that he’s hollering the entire time I’m away?  Yup, at the top of his lungs, I’m surprised the neighbors haven’t complained.  After I shower and clean up the kitchen, Little Boy will have a morning snack, a yogurt.  We then will read and he settles in for a nap.

Naps can last anywhere from 1.5-3 hours.  They are never the same length.  If for some reason I was not able to shower at this time I’ll shower, eat something myself, check email, start laundry, clean up the house, and now I’m packing the house up for our move. 

After naps Little Boy will eat lunch, and then we will run errands.  Drop off bills, go to the grocery, do something that Mr. has asked me to complete.  Once errands are finished, we have to have an afternoon snack.  Depending on the weather, we will go outside and swing or play in the driveway.

If it’s too hot or rainy, we just play in our playroom.  Little Boy doesn’t watch TV.  He always has someone on the floor with him or near by.  This is tiring, yes, but I just can’t see sitting a 10 month old in front of the TV.  I guess it’s the teacher in me.

Mr. will get home from work anywhere between 5-6:30.  It just depends on what he has on his plate that day.  We will cook dinner, or go grab something to eat if Mr. is coming home late.  (Yes, we have money set aside to go and get something out to eat).

Our evening routine usually allows for us to take a family drive each evening.  We just drive around the city, go get ice-cream, or go walk around Lowe’s or Wal-Mart.   

We tend to start getting Little Boy ready for bed anywhere around 8-9:30om.  It depends on if we’re at a family members house, running an errand, or are just home and Little Boy is ready for bed.

Once he’s down for the count, Mr. and I clean up whatever messes are around, may catch a TV show, or pack up the house.  There is never a dull moment being a SAHM.  Being able to stay home and raise my Little Boy myself is a blessing.  This is the lifestyle that Mr. and I chose, and it works for us.

  

I know I said that I respect Working Moms.  I really do.  I know that you’re out there working hard for your babies.  I am doing the exact same thing.  I hope that in the future, a line can be drawn in the sand, and Working Moms and SAHMs can be seen equally.  Neither is better than the other.  When it boils down to it; we all love our kiddos.  We are all trying our best.  We’re all mothers.