My niece, who is a new mommy, recently had a post on her Facebook page that read, "The next person who says that being a stay-at-home mom is easy is going to get punched in the face. With a hammer."I couldn't help but laugh. I remember those early baby & preschool days and just how draining they were! Even now, there are days when my children, precious though they are, take everything I have...and maybe a little more. (Being a parent is definitely not for the fainthearted.)
My little blessings have actually had the nerve to say to me, more than once lately, "You don't work; you stay at home. You just do nothing all day." Uhm. Hello??? They clearly have no idea that the words "mother" and "work" are synonyms. Who helps them with their homework, shops for the groceries, cooks their dinner, empties the dishwasher, and picks up the dirty socks they left on the floor for the millionth time?? Do they think there is a household fairy who washes/dries/folds their clothes, vacuums the house, mops the floor, packs the lunches, organizes the closets, shops for their clothes/school supplies/friend's birthday parties/teacher appreciation gifts, wraps the presents, bakes cupcakes for the class party, hems the dresses, plans the play dates, makes the appointments, takes the dog to the vet, pumps the gas, returns the library books, deposits the checks, mails the packages and pays (at least some) of the bills?? Have they ever considered the amount of time spent driving them to and from Awanas, baseball practice, tech club, jump rope club, the playground, the library...never mind listening to way too many practices for the upcoming talent show, speech contest and science fair project presentation? Grrh...
I honestly don't know how full-time working mommy's do it; they are my heroes & get the utmost respect. Being a mom is hard enough, never mind having two jobs! But working women cannot do what they do in a bubble, and those of us who don't work are often called upon to "stand in the gap" when there is a teacher planning day, school field trip or work-related crisis. We are the ones who work our tails off for free on school-wide PTO events and classroom parties, send continual reminders to working parents who always forget to send the money in, and work on literacy and comprehension skills with each child, one-on-one. We are the ones who are called over the summer when there's been a glitch in the day camp schedule... (I may soon be one of those moms myself, as finances get tighter and thoughts of college are starting to loom large!)
But working one job or two -- we moms (and dads) do what we have to do. And we wouldn't trade our kids for the world. Still, I have to admit I'm really looking forward to the day when my grown kids become parents themselves. I'm smiling to myself just thinking about the first time I hear one of my kids say, "Mom, I'm so tired. The kids were sick, and I didn't get any sleep... This parenting thing is exhausting." I'll smile sweetly and say, "Well, you know, dear, it's not as easy as it looks. Bye, now, it's time for my Bridge game."
