The Myth of the Stay-at-Home Mom Being a "stay-at-home mom" is by no means related to the term "non-working," in any way, shape, or form! In fact, mothers who choose to stay home have one of the most demanding and important jobs in today's society. This is a career that requires seven, on-call 24 hour shifts, each and every week, 52 weeks a year. ADVERTISEMENT The world's stereotypical image of the "stay-at-home mom" is a woman sitting on her sofa, eating bonbons and watching soap operas all day. The real truth is that the job of raising children never ends. It's not a job where you get to leave work at the office, or clock out after an 8-hour shift. There are always things needing attention, such as: meals that need preparing or cleaning up from, mountains of laundry to wash, dry, and put away, a home that needs constant cleaning, doctor visits, soccer practice, and grocery shopping - just to name a few. Full-time mothers get the first call when volunteers are needed for any school function, field-trip or fundraiser. If you choose to be a full-time mom, you probably won't be home very much. You will find yourself organizing trips, running bake-sales and driving children whose parents are stuck at work to museums. You put in all the work of "working parents" without the paychecks or the breaks. The rewards of participating in, and the impact on your children's learning, development, and values is priceless. Raising children as a full-time mom is a career that requires a multitude of skills, including patience, wisdom, and thinking quickly on your feet. All are key elements of successful parenting. Another "perk" to staying at home to raise your children is that your parenting guilt level is greatly reduced. You'll never have to question the quality of your child's care, or if you are spending enough "quality" time with them. Do you get sick days or vacation time? For most full-time, those benefits are not an option, unless you physically cannot get out of bed or are fortunate enough to have hired help or help from a loving spouse, relative, or close friend. Your work needs to be accomplished so the household doesn't fall apart. Even when you're sick, it's business as usual. If you are or are considering being a full-time mom, give yourself a pat on the back and a whole lot of credit. When you calculate just how much it would cost your family to hire someone to do all that, you do, you realize just how valuable choosing to be a stay-at-home mom can be to your family!
