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Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Stay at Home Moms Just Don't Get it...


My wife is a stay at home mom. My good friend Mike Smith is a stay at home dad. I converse with these two people on a daily basis, probably more than I do with anyone else besides maybe my Dad. It's safe to say that I've heard my share of "venting" on how "difficult" their "JOB" of being a stay at home parent is. Needless to say, this is a very difficult subject for me to broach because of these relationships. While I love them both dearly and I never mind listening to them vent, I just don't think they get it.

Job (noun): 1. A paid position of regular employment.

As for me, I wake up every morning before the sun rises and I drive 45 minutes to work. I get into a work truck, drive to a neighborhood and run in a race against the clock to finish my work allotment before I run out of time. All the while I'm being threatened by customers, chased by dogs and at the mercy of mother nature (Who is also a stay at home mom, coincidentally). When I'm finished I get back in my car and take the 45 minute drive home in rush hour traffic. I do this every day 8 a.m to 5 p.m (plus drive time) Monday through Friday. Every two weeks I get paid for my work and my family uses that money to pay the bills, eat and buy a few things we might need. I've done this job for 15 years.

What exactly does a stay at home mom do?

  • Rolls out of bed and takes a nice peaceful shower 
  • Makes a delicious breakfast to eat while catching up on some television shows
  • Enjoys a nice warm and peaceful cup of coffee on the back porch
  • Feeds the kids a Pop Tart
  • Scrolls through her Facebook news feed for a few hours commenting on a picture of a cute Pinterest idea and a status of another stay at home mom complaining about how her toe nail painting got interrupted by her toddler who knocked over her nail polish and how frustrated she is now that there is a big ugly stain on the  new  plush carpet she just paid for with money her husband made at his job.
  • Calls a friend and talks on the phone for an hour
  • Feeds the kids a sandwich
  • Does some online clothes shopping
  • Calls the kids over to pose with her for a picture with her new selfie stick.
  • Sits the kids down in front of the television until daddy gets home from work.
  • Sends a few texts to her bestie about how she doesn't feel like cooking dinner
Does that sound like a job to you? Would you "vent" about the "job" you had to perform every day if this was your daily routine? I don't think so. Some people just need a reality check. These people need to count their blessings and be grateful for what they have and the people who make it possible.

Don't you agree? I'm sure you all do and I look forward to reading your comments. There won't be any debating this one. It's pretty cut and dry. Thanks for reading and have a great day.

Oh, wait...

 Check your calendar before you start calling me a chauvinist and berating me for my jingoistic comments waging war against the stay at home parent.

Ah, yes, 'tis April Fools day. Well, it was when I wrote this anyway... I may be a child but I'm not a chauvinist. Allow me to offer you a second definition.



Job (noun): 2. a task or piece of work.

 Is there a more important piece of work one can be called to pour her blood, sweat and tears into? This leads me back to a question I asked earlier.


What does a stay at home parent really do?


  • Wakes up on command
  • Feeds on command
  • Struggles to make time to actually brush her own teeth and take a shower.
  • Changes ungodly diapers at all hours of the day
  • Cleans up mess after mess after toy after puke after coloring on the wall (you get the point)
  • Plans three meals a day
  • Pays bills
  • Handles Doctor visits
  • Shapes and molds tiny humans into well mannered and respectful children
  • Shops for groceries
  • Disciplines
  • Manages melt downs (for both child and self)
  • Forgets to feed herself lunch.
  • Remembers to feed herself lunch but the baby needs her so it'll have to wait.
  • Runs all of life's little annoying errands that come up at inopportune times.
etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. 

Do I really need to list anything else? Because I can, but I'd like to wrap this thing up and get some sleep tonight so I can be well rested for my job in the morning where I really just drive around in a work truck listening to sports talk radio and get some exercise running through sub divisions while occasionally dealing with an upset customer or an angry gang of chihuahua's who, for some reason, view me as a threat in their sub divisional turf war.

I guess it just depends on your perspective. I could choose to describe my job the way I did at the beginning of this blog post or I could choose to describe it the way I did just now. I prefer the latter. However, no one should choose to describe the job of a stay at home parent, whether a mom or a dad, the way I did at the beginning of this blog post because it's the most important job on earth. The list of responsibilities is endless and thankless. To top it all off, Daddy (or the working parent) gets to barge through the door when he gets off work and be welcomed home like he spent all day saving the world when Mommy is the one who truly deserves that super hero's welcome. After all, she was protecting our world all day while Daddy was At work.

 Some people just need a reality check. These people need to count their blessings and be grateful for what they have and the people who make it possible...  it's usually us working parents. I know my boss is a lot more understanding than a couple of tiny tyrant toddlers.

Stay at home parents just don't get it...they don't get the respect and appreciation they deserve for the job they do. The next time you feel like taking a break and catching up on Grey's Anatomy, go right ahead. You deserve it.











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34 comments:

  1. Ha ha! Awesome, you had me for a minute. To be honest people are different. A job to one person is a thrilling pursuit to another. Not everyone finds being at home with children easy but most people who become parents have to do it at some point.

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    1. I felt awful even pretending not to appreciate the job sahp's do. I guess it all depends on your perspective. It's a tough job but someone's gotta do it.

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  2. I couldn't even make it all the way through this ignorant, moronic & chauvinistic post. I had to stop reading half way in and scroll down to the comments section to give you a piece of my mind.

    It's guys like you that give meter readers a bad name! I'll bet you even go around and shut off the power to all the people named Mike Smith just in some sick way to try to get back at me.

    I thought we were friends, I was even going to name my fifth child Casey. Glad I found out about you now.

    I guess it's true, with friends like you...who needs enemies!

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    1. Well I guess we're just going to have to blog it out buddy...

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  3. Firstly love the friendship here guys.....feeling the love!! Lol
    As for the job part well not everyone gets it but it is a rough job like most things. Personally I equally enjoy it but wow do it want to vent!!

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    1. Stay at home parents definitely need a spouse or a good friend they can vent to. It's just the nature of the job. I think it helps you keep from putting your frustration on your kids.

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  4. Casey this is hilarious but it's 2:46 in the middle of the night and I have to go to bed. You and Mike kiss and make up.

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  5. Hahaha this is brilliant! I'm a stay at home mum and I actually quite enjoyed the first description, especially the pop tart part because my children would be horrified if I tried to give them a pop tart (fussy children alert).

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    1. Kate, I'll be honest some of the first descriptions were inspired by my wife on her self admitted "bad days." They don't come often though. The Pop Tart Is never a good thing. Fussy children alert indeed

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  6. Haha, this is great! At first I was thinking "he must be joking" and then it carried on and I started thinking "he bloody means it!" and getting a bit cross! Hehe, luckily it's not April Fools Day anymore so you didn't really 'get' me :) #brillblogposts

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    1. Louise, I was somewhat worried that some people may get so angry that they quit reading half way through. Glad you stuck with me. Thanks for giving it a read.

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  7. I enjoyed reading this on April fools and I'm glad that you linked it up here #bigfatlinky

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    1. Thanks Al. Thanks for providing the forum to link up #bigfatlinky

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  8. You had me as well, stay at home parenting is such a controversial topic! I particularly liked your second description #bigfatlinky

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    1. Oh yes it is. My wife certainly falls under the second description. Not sure what I'd do without her.

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  9. A fantastic post! I was about to come looking for you and do some screaming and finger wagging until I read on haha #bigfatlinky

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    1. I'm glad you didn't have to come looking for me. If you did I would have had to take my medicine. Thanks for checking it out and for the kind words.

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  10. Really enjoyed this read! A clever April Fool's - but also does raise some interesting questions. I'm a working mum - full time. Dad is a full time worker too. Life's pretty tough! #bigfatlinky

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it. There's no "right" way to do it. Whatever works for you. Life with kids is tough no matter how we approach it... as you already know. thanks for stopping by.

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  11. This was such an entertaining post to read! Thank you for sharing it. I have been a SAHM for about 12 years now; and it has been the most rewarding and absolutely frustratng "job" I've ever had! I will admit that it has definitely been easier since my children have gotten older. I feel like I've gone from being on a 24hour shift when they were all home (until school age) to now "working" the afternoon and evening shifts. I joke and tell my husband I feel like I work the "2-10pm" shift each day. Oh, to be sure, there's always...and I do mean always..laundry to do or dishes to unload or dinner to plan etc. However, I won't lie and say I don't enjoy my "Grey's Anatomy" and coffee as well!

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    1. Thank you Dori. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Sometimes I do have stay at home dad envy because I desire to spend more time with my boys but that's with the understanding that the stay at home job is tougher than the one I have now... yet more rewarding. I get what you mean about the shifts. Thanks for reading and commenting.

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  12. The first bit i'll admit my mouth dropped open! being a sahm that got my back up, especially the peaceful shower and hot cuppa bit lol so glad it was a april fools brilliant post!!

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    1. Thanks Ellie. I appreciate the read and comment. I love the sahms

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    2. Thanks Ellie. I appreciate the read and comment. I love the sahms

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  13. I've got the 'best' of both worlds. I run a full time business from home evenings, nights & weekends whilst being a SAH mum, cook, cleaner etc during the day! I love it but it's bloody hard work!!

    Gym Bunny Mummy | Bloglovin’ | Facebook

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    1. You really do have the best of both worlds...as long as you enjoy hard work!!! Thanks for reading!!

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    2. You really do have the best of both worlds...as long as you enjoy hard work!!! Thanks for reading!!

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  14. You had me worried for a minute there. Genius. Thanks for linking up to #brilliantbliogposts

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