Stay At Home

I catch myself talking to my friends (both kidful and kidless) about how hard my job is as a stay at home mom. I do this for two reasons, I think. One, because it actually IS hard and I am a complainer. Two, because I want to be included in the working world. I don't want to be pushed aside and considered to have it so easy because my job doesn't pay. I want to be counted in during the bitching that happens when more than one woman is gathered! I want to be included in the happy hour bemoaning! Of course, as we all know, babies are sorta frowned upon in a bar like setting, so I rarely even get invited to happy hours, but if I were I would want to have something to show these working women that I too do something worth while.

However, the more I think about it, the more I think that we as stay at home moms should try not to emphasize how difficult the job of staying home is. Instead of talking about the messes, the juggling, the tripping, the endless scrapes, the whining (my god the whining!!), and the leaky, sniffly, stinky rest of it, lets talk about the perks when we talk to our child-free compadres! Make it look at least a little desirable so that when they have kids, they don't spit out the kid and rush back to work just to feel like a contributing member of society again. We are scaring women away from mothering! This, of course, doesn't count the women who need to work for income, I am talking about the women who run back to work because they think others would be better equipped to raise children. I have a friend who brags constantly about the things she buys her child, but the only pictures she ever has of her kid are taken by a daycare provider. I want to give these women a better picture of what an awesome thing staying at home can be - while reassuring myself at the same time.

- When was the last time you wore your pajamas all day
- Happy hour is ten times better when it is done in a friend's yard while your kids frolic in the sprinkler...at noon.
- The more you see the world through a child's eyes, the more you realize every day is a learning experience
- I didn't miss the firsts of my kids' lives
- Barefeet never gave someone bone spurs
- I save a fortune on dry cleaning
- Naps are highly encouraged
- Showers are optional
- Making cookies is sorta part of the job
- You never really need to make time to go exercise as the job is exercise. Need more? have another kid or just invite kids over for a playdate.

Of course there is all that sappy stuff about getting paid in kisses and hugs. Or how one "I love you" is worth all the paychecks you would get in a year, but this is a bit abstract for someone considering a career in child rearing, and some people's kids don't really SAY I love you for years, so I am leaving it out.