I am a Stay at Home Mom

I am a Stay at Home Mom.

I drive a minivan, yes. It's paid for and it's 13 years old. That's right, it's a 1996 and it still runs. It's not the nicest car in the world, but it takes us where we need to go. Our other car is literally 20 years old. This car is paid for as well. I like to see the beautiful Sports Utility Vehicles that other people drive and I love riding in them. But we are content with what we have.

I am a Stay at Home Mom.

I live in a simple house. In my neighborhood there are many professionals and they have gorgeous homes. I am happy for them. They have gorgeous landscaping and beautiful furniture. Ours is definitely not as good as theirs, but we are willing to do a little at a time.

Our furniture is well loved and when we buy new, you better believe it's out of dire necessity. My dining room set is from a thrift shop and it has served us well for 10 years. It's not gorgeous but it works.

I am a Stay at Home Mom.

My children wear hand me downs. They are neat, they are clean and they are new to them. I buy them a couple of new things each season and that seems to be sufficient for them. My daughter has learned to accessorize to make herself very stylish; she is learning creativity.

I am a Stay at Home Mom.

I don't have nice clothes. I have useful clothes, which are neat and clean. If I gave any thought, I suppose I could make them more stylish. But because I am at home, I am running one to band and two to swimming in between and then pick them up at take them home, all within two hours. Sometimes I'm running other children besides my own. Sometimes I'm lucky if I've brushed my teeth.

I am a Stay at Home mom.

When a working mom can't get her child in time, she calls me. When a working mom has to leave early, she calls me. I do not look down on her for her choice because I know that she is contributing to my family just as I am. Working Mom is my sister and I am proud of her.

I am a Stay at Home mom.

There are 5 major grocery stores in my area and I can tell you which store has the best buy on what item. I use coupons. I shop sales. I wait to buy things until they are on sale and I have a coupon. My Working Mom sister does this too, but I remember when I worked and how I didn't have time to go to several different stores. I do now so sometimes I might save a little extra money and we don't use name brands; I do this as a contribution to my household.

I am a Stay at Home Mom.

I am involved in my children's schools. I do this not to put a guilt trip on my sisters at work; I do this because this is one of the prices I pay to be at home. I bake cookies. I help with the Book Fair. I am a room parent and I take pictures to share with other moms who wish they could be there. I understand. We all do what we can.

I am a Stay at Home Mom.

I cannot understand why there are some Working Moms who look down on my choices. I cannot understand why some of my other Stay at Home sisters look down on their working sisters. We are all working toward the same thing, which is taking care of our family.

The Feminist movement does not bother me. I embrace it as my own, as I was a child when the movement started. One of their points was that a women should have the same choices as men, when it came to careers and pay. I am a Christian and I am thrilled to have a choice of whether to go back to work or stay at home.

I made my choice, or rather, my husband and I decided it together. We decided to live a very simple lifestyle. We decided to forego some luxuries. It would be nice to go out to a fabulous restaurant and wear gorgeous clothes and painful shoes. Nice, but like many things, those dinners will have to wait.

I am a Stay at Home Mom.

One day I will probably go back to work. Maybe I won't. I've been told that my Working Sisters wish that they were at home at 3pm when their teenagers got out of school. That scares me.

And because I've been out of the workforce, I wonder if I'll even be able to get work. And I know and love many of my Working Sisters who are keeping their families afloat. I don't know how they do it; they are so strong. I try to encourage them when I can.

So, let's not put each other down. We are mothers and we should be pulling for each other, no matter what the circumstance. I respect my Working Mom sisters; I wonder if they respect me?

I am a Stay at Home Mom.

Copyright 2009, All Rights Reserved. by C. Deanne