I was talking to a young mother who has one 3-year-old girl. This mother told me that she's had it with watching this girl all day every day, and she absolutely has to get a job and put her daughter in daycare or she'll go insane. I told her what she needed was to give the little girl a sibling to play with. (This could be construed as a tactless comment---I am famous for making them---but the condition of my belly at present allows me to make certain types of comment without too much reproach).
The conversation didn't really go anywhere, and I certainly made no impact on her resolution to quit being a stay-at-home mom. But it made my heart hurt for her and for her cute little girl.
I would never voluntarily leave my children to go to work. The thought of having somebody else raise my little ones is appalling! That is MY job. These are MY little ones. Nobody else in the entire world can do for them what I can do for them. Nobody else can love them as I love them.
There are days when I go bonkers and realize that being a stay-at-home mom is hard hard hard hard hard. There are times when I let my children make me so mad that I am surprised at myself. My house is often a mess, my shoulders are often covered in peanut butter or worse, and I am often greeted with angry faces as I turn a corner.
But then, as I put the kids to sleep, I hear a little voice say "I like you and I love you and I think you're beautiful and pretty." These children I have are my most precious blessings from heaven. They are so cute and so sweet.
And that's enough soapboxing for now. I just wanted to say I treasure not just my children, but also my role as their mother.
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3 comments:
Good for you Kathryn. There are certainly days when I've had enough and feel like handing the kids over to someone else (and sometimes I do- babysitter/husband and take a break); but it is true, no one else can be your child's mother. No one else can do your job. No matter how much someone else likes and cares for your child, it's never the same as the love you can give them. I wouldn't want to miss any of the special moments that come with being a mom. Having someone else tell you about something your child did/discovered can't compare to being there to experience it with them. I recently read "In Praise of Stay-at-Home Mom's" by Dr. Laura. I would recommend every mom read it. It gave me a much needed new perspective about *enjoying* this very, very hard and most important job.
Stay at home, Mom! seems like an odd choice for a blog heading just as your mom is boarding a plane to come for a visit. Or am I misreading it?
Uncle Greg
I agree. I love staying home with my kids. It has taken me time to learn to love staying home - because I needed to learn how to love.
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