Being young, most of my friends can not relate to me and my way of life. By that I mean, they don't understand what it is like to be a stay at home mom. I hear them all complain about being tired and over worked, and how much they sacrifice and it makes me laugh inside. Trust me, these 'girls' don't know what tired is, and they REALLY don't know what sacrifice is.
For the last 18 months my body has not been my own. For the nearly 10 months I was pregnant (39 weeks is nearly 10 months - whoever came up with this 9 month thing is MENTAL) my body belonged to the daughter inside me. Everything I ate, everything I drank, every bath I took, every nap I had, EVERYTHING I did was all about the baby I was growing inside me. After pregnancy, the self-sacrifice did not stop. Since February I have be breastfeeding solely (my daughter WILL NOT take formula or a bottle at all). So I still have to watch what I eat and drink so that my breast-milk is not affected.
Not only have I been sacrificing my body for Charlotte in the last 18 months, but I also sacrifice my health. When I got sick when I was pregnant, I couldn't take anything and even most natural remedies were off limits. I'd just have to be sick and let it pass. Since I am breastfeeding that still hasn't changed. Only difference is I can't get the rest I need to get better.
And all you women out there who think you are always tired, why don't you get back to me when you are awake for 20 hours a day for 3 months....
Being a stay at home mom is a 365 day a year job. You work at least 12 hours a day, Monday-Friday, every weekend and all holidays. It isn't as though you can take a sick day and someone can cover for you. You are the sole person who is 'employed' and the success of your job lies only with you. When your sick, you want to nap, but when you are a stay at home mom, there is no time for naps. If your child isn't napping (like mine NEVER wants to do) then you can not nap. Your life is not your own; it revolves around someone entirely different.
And you know, if being a stay at home mom was just about the childcare, then all would be great. But the stay at home mom is also the mom of many jobs. Aside from childcare, the stay at home mom also is a chef, a pre-school teacher, chauffeur, owner of a laundry mat, jungle-jim, maid, personal secretary (for husband and children), life coach/guidance councilor, doctor and entertainment co-coordinator, just to name a few job responsibilities.
Truly, the hardest yet most under appreciated jobs there is. Everyone looks at the working woman in awe, but when they see a stay at home mom, they feel pity. Pity for the 'uneducated' woman with nothing to do. Well let me tell you, many of us are educated, and there is ALWAYS something to do.
So next time you complain about your job, how tired you are, and how you 'give so much', think about the stay at home mom. She has you topped! But chances are, as frazzled as she is, her job is a million times more rewarding that yours, and she wouldn't trade it for anything.
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