A SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY SAHMs!

We've become a society where the obvious needs to be stated, and then proven through expensive studies. (Did you know that men and women are different? How mind blowing!) I decided that all of us Stay-At-Home Mom's deserved some much needed recognition and a GREAT BIG 'OL Pat On The Back For A Job Well Done!

Unfortunately, at least since the advent of Betty Friedan and The Feminine Mystique, mothers who stay home have been demeaned and devalued. (The Feminine Mystique, published February 19, 1963 is a nonfiction book written by Betty Friedan. It is widely credited with sparking the beginning of second-wave feminism in the United States. In 1957, Friedan was asked to conduct a survey of her former Smith College classmates for their 15th anniversary reunion; the results, in which she found that many of them were unhappy with their lives as housewives, prompted her to begin research for The Feminine Mystique, conducting interviews with other suburban housewives, as well as researching psychology, media, and advertising. She originally intended to publish an article on the topic, not a book, but no magazine would publish her article.)
Note to self...I MUST get a copy of this book.

Another Shout Out...Thank You Betty Friedan!


We stay-at-home mothers are often considered to be either ill-informed (at best), and incapable of even being informed (at worst), uneducated, incompetent, foolish and at the very least, the spoiled rich or worse, mooching off government aide. Otherwise why would anyone make such a choice? When women with MBA's leave their jobs to stay home with their children, it becomes a major NY Times article.

Instead of looking down your noses at us mothers who have chosen to stay home, you need to give us some much needed praise! The fact of the matter, it's not an easy choice to just stay at home with our children. It's a choice that sadly society generally frowns upon.
A woman without a least one graduate degree and an upwardly mobile career path just isn't worth talking to. Everyone has a riff on that classic cocktail party scene. "What do you do?" "I'm home raising my children." "Excuse me, I need to mingle."
I am not sure about you but I just picture a HUGE ritzy dinner party in NYC and a housewife shows up and is snubbed by the rich woman with the amazing job and a nanny to raise her children. Stereotypical? Maybe. But it's just the image that pops in my head at that thought.

We stay-at-home moms could use some gratitude. We stick together and take up for each other because who else will do it? Who else will pat us on the back for what we do? Our kids? Our husbands? Sometimes even our husbands are clueless as to what our job description entails and they, like the majority of society, snub their noses at us. We get to be home every day afterall while they truck it to work. Right? NOT!
Being a stay-at-home mom is a LONELY job! The kids are cute but the need for adult company is strong and frequently unsatisfied. To accept the loneliness in order to give your children stability and security is a brave decision. We stay-at-home moms are as selfless as they come! By the end of the week I am so desparate for conversation and the companionship of adults that I will try to wait at the mailbox for the mail lady in hopes she'll have time to chat for a bit! And God forbid a repair person come by. They may never get away from me! Just like the telemarketer. It's pretty bad when you'll converse with them just to be able to talk to an adult! They get more than they bargain for when they call my house! Now that I think about it, they don't call here anymore.



(I bet my telemarketers looked like this after an hour on the phone with me! LOL)
Being a stay-at-home mom is physically draining! You need to operate at high energy with little sleep. You get dirty, your kids get dirty, your house gets dirty...and your children don't stop moving.


We stay-at-home moms are constantly working on our character. The opportunities for lack of patience, frustration and losing your temper are frequent, perhaps every few minutes. (Although some careers may pose similar challenges, if they're as frequent as in the care of small children, it's probably time to look for a new job!)

We stay-at-home moms are creating the future. We are aware of what's at stake and are willing to make the necessary sacrifices.

I am so happy that amidst all the effort and hard work, there is a lot of pleasure available to us stay-at-home mothers.

Through the blur of mess and exhaustion, there is the joy of watching your children explore the world -- a flower, a birdie, a new friend. There is the thrill of their first step and their further adventures of discovery. There is the excitement of their first word and the thoughts and sentences that follow. There is the gratification in watching their character develop -- in seeing them share with others, play with others, and even comfort others. If you pay attention, those pleasures never cease.

Everyone needs praise. But perhaps as stay-at-home moms just need to change our focus. We need to focus on the benefits and not the challenges and frustrations, not the lack of external validation (I know, not an easy task).

We get to watch our children's eyes light up when they see us, we get to hold their little hands as we play at the park with them, pushing them on the swings and catching them at the end of the slide. And we get those hugs and kisses and "I love you mommy" at the end of the day. Who needs cocktail parties anyway?