The stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) is a rather peculiar being.
First, I reserve my right to object to the title.
It's misleading.
It suggests you do nothing but stay ... at home.
Inactively.
Sure.
Being a SAHM doesn't have much to do with staying in one place.
You're running around a lot of the time.
Doing the things that keep life rolling but which are not fancy or glamourous.
You know, the kind your mom did for years and years but you didn't notice much.
Like picking things up. All. the. time.
Toys and more toys, clothes, crumbs, crackers, wrappings, banana peels...and God knows what unidentifiable things.
Once you are done, you can start again.
Then there's laundry and ironing and stain removing.
Cleaning, scrubbing and disinfecting.
Cooking, grocery shopping...
There's...oh who cares?!
It's boring to write it all down, it's boring to talk about it and so it might seem it is not a valuable thing.
Except it is.
Because if I ask someone over to vacuum, dust and scrub my toilet, I have to pay them good money.
Not to mention having someone for childcare! Babysitter, daycare, nanny...
Before I got pregnant, I had a full-time job, I was tutoring a couple of kids and I was finishing up my Master's.
I was busy. And hyper. And exhausted.
I felt very productive.
Now?
I am pretty hyper and exhausted and productive as a SAHM as well.
In a completely different way.
It took some time to get used to it.
But most days, I am really enjoying it.
I like to be there and see my kid blooming, learning and growing into herself.
For many months I had this nagging thought that I wasn't doing enough.
That it was not enough to just be a mom.
I had to have a job. Bring home a paycheck.
Be super-mom and super-employee or whatever.
But then, one day at the library it was story time and I went with Loud Baby.
There were soo many kids.
Also, there were two dads, about 5 moms and a lot of nannies.
Some nannies were sweet and enthusiastic.
Some were bored out of their wits as it happens to adults stuck in a kids' program.
As for me, I was glad I was the one there with my daughter, having the chance of getting bored.
And I didn't.
I enjoyed all her babbling and reading the same book ten times and singing the same song 12 times.
It's not always like that but I'd rather I were the person she can nag and annoy and drive crazy.
Because then I also get to be the person she learns from and the one she delights with her silliness.
Maybe one day there will be no choice, and I will have to get a job.
Maybe one day I will simply feel it is time for me to look for work.
But it will be because I want to or need to, not because of the ingrained belief that a SAHM is inferior, not living up to her potential, not doing enough...you name it.
Time to go read "Where is baby's belly button". Loud and proud :)
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