I’m a stay-at-home mom. No, that doesn’t mean I eat Bon-bon’s all day… I don’t even know what a Bon-bon is! My day is full of constant work actually. I fold clothes, wash fingerprint covered surfaces, prepare about five meals and fourteen snacks a day, and I rarely sit down. I get to break up fights between kids over super vital things like who gets to sit in the corner seat at dinner. I change diapers, kiss owies, sweep floors, and chase away bad dreams almost every single night. I can convince anyone to put pants on, share toys, or put down the toilet seat. I’m an expert negotiator. I’m a mom, hear me roar darn it!
This is the life of a stay-at-home mom. Our needs come last, our lists overflow daily, and our alone time ceases to exist anymore. We deserve respect, praise, and maybe a box of donuts every so often – to eat alone, in the bathtub…Just saying.
Here are my top five reasons why stay-at-home mom’s deserve a bit more respect and recognition these days.
We’ve been peed on, thrown up on, and probably kicked in the face by our children at some point.
This is a sad, but true reality for all mothers. Our husbands think we must just have a stronger stomach than they do as they watch us scrub chunks off of the floor. The truth is that we want to gag too, but if we threw up, we’d simply have more mess to clean up – so we suck it up. You should too husbands…
The love we have for our children is fierce, but it doesn’t protect us from things like the stomach flu or pink eye.
If my love for my children could protect me from illness, I would never get sick, but it doesn’t… so I catch just about every cold or flu that seems to be going around my children’s school. “At least you get to stay home when you’re sick,” you say. Yes I get to stay home, but instead of lying in bed trying to recover, I get to clean, cook, and change diapers – much better.
Sleep deprivation.
I never sleep anymore. The End.
When you’re a stay-at-home mom, you never leave work.
My job is taking care of my kids, who I love by the way. It may sound like I’m complaining, but I’m not. I know how blessed I am and I love what I do. My point is the same though, I never leave work as a stay-at-home mom. So, if I need a lunch break, I take three kids with me to eat at a restaurant which doesn’t quite have the same result. Crayons everywhere…
Everyone thinks since you chose to be home, that it’s easy and you should never complain.
So, let me get this straight. Because I chose to be home and sacrifice extra money to be with my kids more, I don’t deserve the same respect as a working mom? I respect other moms. I respect working moms, stay-at-home moms – heck, I respect moms in the animal kingdom. Have you ever seen a new dog mom nurse multiple puppies at once? Respect to you mama! We’re all moms and we all sacrifice in different ways. It’s time we stop competing and tearing each other down and just salute each other for our similarities, don’t you think?
So the next time you hear of a new mom deciding to stay home instead of go back to work, do me a favor. Instead of scoffing behind her back, just show her some respect. The days are long, but the years are short, remember? We need to value every single day, and as stay-at-home mom’s, we’re just trying to soak in every second – even the hard stuff.
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Christi Cazin of Mama Needs More Coffee. You can follow her journey on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and her website. You can also purchase her book on Amazon. Submit your own story here and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.
Read more from Christi here:
5 Tips For Cherishing Motherhood — Even On The Hard Days
Motherhood Is Hard, Let’s Stop Pretending It’s Not
10 Important Lessons I Hope To Teach My Daughter
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