The Working Mom

I find the phrase "working mom" to be interesting. Society tells us that the working mother is a woman that has a career outside of the home. But isn't that title a little repetative? Having had a job outside of the home while my child went to daycare, and now staying home with my kids, I have been able to experience both lives. Working in the salon 4 days a week while my daughter went to daycare was very hard. It was difficult to be away from her, I missed her all the time. When I got home from work, I then had to cook, clean, keep up the laundry, give her a bath, and try to find some time to play with her. It was exhausting! Needless to say my housework was neglected a lot. During this time, I felt incredibly inadequate at simply doing life. The juggling act was exhausting.  Now that I am a stay at home mom, life hasn't gotten any easier. I have 2 children and one on the way. We wake up, early, shower, have breakfast, clean up, play, take my daughter to school, go home, put Jackson down to nap. Meanwhile, I am cleaning, doing laundry, doing dishes, making the menu and grocery list, paying bills...the list goes on. Once the time comes, we pick up Leah from school, run a couple errands, go home, play, start dinner, do dishes, do laundry, eat dinner, clean up, play some more, have baths, and go to bed. Now on some nights, my husband has class, so I am doing ALL of this on my own. So, I am forced to ask myself, why is it that only mothers with careers outside of the home hold the title, "working mom?" My day is full of work. However valuable, priceless, and temporary, I am a working mom. I would like to congratulate every mother on being a working mom. Anyone that is not a mom cannot understand in its entirety what it means the be a mom. It is a 24 hour a day job, everyday of the week. And some day my  kids will get older, they wont rely on me as much. At some point they will grow into adults and move on in their lives. They will need me then, but not rely on me for everything. That day will be sad, but thinking of it right now, in this moment, it's very appealing. Thank God for children, what they teach us and for the opportunity to raise and guide them. I know that my kids have made me a better person. And it is worth all of the work!