As a mom who works outside the home, I seriously admire moms who stay home with their children.
After my 12-week maternity leave was over, I knew I would be going back to work and it has continued to be the right choice for our family. I understand there are lots of reasons why women don’t go back to working outside the home once they’ve started having children…maybe it’s financial…maybe it’s emotional.
Regardless, these women deserve an Olympic gold medal! Here are my top five reasons why (thanks to my KMB sisters for helping me out):
1. The speed with which you’re able to purchase groceries in the small window between preschool drop off and pickup, inevitably with younger children in tow.
It may seem like women who stay home can leisurely complete tasks, on their own time, without having to check all the boxes and mark off all the to-do lists “when they get to it.” This is a false assumption. A SAHM might be lucky enough to have one or more of her older children in daycare/preschool, so she can drop them off and run errands with “only” the little(s). But that window of time ends up becoming very short when they’re trying to accomplish monumental tasks like buying food for everyone who lives under their roof. I commend you, Wednesday morning shopper mommas!
2. The length of time you can pretend play is astounding. Talk about extreme endurance!
Moms who stay home are with their kids. ALL. DAY. LONG. This means endless hours of playing in whatever pretend land/character/scene the child has created that day. As someone who can only spend a few short hours during the evening or weekends with my daughter, I can only imagine how exhausting this must be. On top of trying to get housework done, they’ve got to slay imaginary dragons and visit the invisible spaghetti café for hours and hours. Keep up the great work…your medal should be arriving soon.
3. The expectation that you’re always available because you “don’t work.”
Because they “don’t work,” people expect SAHM to be available WHENEVER. Never mind that to-do list we talked about earlier, or the fact that the SAHM hasn’t sat down for longer than 30 seconds in five years…a SAHM can go to that appointment, meet that friend, or sell that baby stuff from the garage at any time because she’s “not doing anything.”
4. The number of days spent without talking to another adult until your spouse comes home from work.
See point number two…when they’re with kids all day, those are often the only people SAHM can talk to until their spouse arrives home from work. The latest plot line from PJ Masks, Daniel Tiger, and Sophia the First are interesting, to a point. But sometimes she just needs to discuss the day’s news, or an important email, with someone whose favorite show isn’t Elena of Avalor. If that means waiting until at least dinner time, she just has to wait.
5. The need to take your children to your doctor’s appointments, etc. with you because the babysitter canceled at the last minute…again.
Those of us who work outside the home might be able to squeeze in a haircut or a doctor’s visit during our lunch hour or before work, but moms who stay home with their kids aren’t always so lucky. As the primary caregiver during their spouse’s working hours, appointments will usually require a babysitter. It’s all well and good until you’re ready to walk out the door when the babysitter calls to say she won’t be able to make it. I’ve never had to bring my child to my annual OB/GYN appointment, and hope that’s not the case anytime soon. But for any of our readers who have, you are my hero!
Working moms need to stop thinking that SAHMs will give them free after school childcare. Don’t send your kids to my house after school, in fact, I may not even be home. Thank you.