Some moms work because they have to. Some moms work because they choose to. And some moms stay home. I am only one voice, and it happens to be that of a stay at home mom. I can only write what I know, but first, let me just say, cheers to the working moms! Cuz I know y’all still come home to the dirty dishes and never-ending piles of laundry.
Let’s be honest, momming is hard. I have been a stay at home mom for 8 years now, 4 times longer than my career. I have a masters degree that is useless in my day to day life as a mom. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Some days I feel like I’m totally killing it. Maybe you’ve been there: the laundry is caught up (for 30 seconds – how dare his shirt get wet?!), dishes are done, you’ve actually managed to shower or at least appear halfway presentable should the UPS man require a signature, and you’ve even played or read to the kids. And it’s not even dinnertime - KILLING it. Other days, I feel like I’ve spent the past 8 years failing. Over and over. And truth be told, you’re going to fail. Little failures here and there but some days my head fills only with all the mistakes I’ve made as a parent, and how I wish I could go back and do it all again – because surely I wouldn’t make any mistakes the next time around (insert eye roll). In fact, I often joke about things that took me 5 kids to learn, noting that I do in fact only have 4 kids.
And then I realize how fortunate I am – for lots of things, but most specifically fortunate that I can choose to be home with my babies. Because even if I was the maid more than the playmate today, I was the one to kiss the boo-boo, hold the hand up the stairs, dodge the nerf bullets, and step on the lego.
The bottom line is, as moms, we can always find something to be grateful for. Whether it’s the boo boos you were there to kiss, or the fact that an army of tiny humans messed up someone else’s house today, be grateful. Our time with our kids is precious and short-lived. We’re all doing the best we can, and in everything, we should always be grateful God chose these babies for us, and it’s our life to live.