On Being a Stay-at-Home Mom

There was a saying I read in the faculty room bathroom of the old elementary school I taught at. It said, "If you want to get your child's attention, sit down and look comfortable."

I understand that saying firsthand now as I have a child of my own. 

Being a stay-at-home mom isn't glamorous. Sometimes it isn't necessarily fun either. Even with just one little baby to take care of, I'm surprised at how much of my time is spent picking her up, running back into the room that I just layed her down in,  consoling her, taking her in and out of her carseat, feeding her (again), wiping up her drool, cleaning off her spit-up, and holding her binki in her mouth.

Glamorous? No.

Important? Undoubtedly.

BJ knew long before he married me that being a stay-at-home mom was the one soapbox I would stand on til the day I die. I will never change the way I feel about how important it is for me to be at home with my children.

Ellie grabbed her toes today. I've been waiting for weeks for her to do this and I am so happy I was there the moment she did it so I could congratulate her, tell her good job and of how proud I am to be her mama. 

Yesterday brought the responsibility of paying hospital bills, calling about bank account overdrafts, denied credit cards, and revoked car titles. It included piles of laundry, washing the bed sheets, and sweeping the kitchen floor. It maneuvered a lonely baby on one hip while opening a hot oven with another arm to prepare a very mediocre dinner. I held baby during and in between phone calls, rocked her vibrating chair with one foot while I filled out checks and mailed them, and tried to take advantage of a baby's nap in order to steal a quick shower- only to be joined in the shower by said baby who had quickly realized my absence. 

When you're a mom, the length of any given task is easily doubled or tripled when a baby is around, because babies need attention and love. Actually, they need your attention and love...

And that is why I will be there.

I, like Julie B. Beck believe, "Home is where women have the most power and influence... Women should understand that no matter how many other people they enlist to help them with their home and children, they cannot delegate their role as the primary nurturer and teacher of their families." I agree with Ezra Taft Benson who said that, "children- not possessions, not position, not prestige- are our greatest jewels."
I am proud to be a stay-at-home mom. I have prepared my entire life for motherhood,
 whether glamorous, or not.