Ok ladies, there's a question I wish to pose to you. WHY or WHY AREN'T you a homemaker? I want to know why you've made the choice that you've had, or perhaps you'd LIKE to be a homemaker but are needed to work. Either way I want to know your reasons for what you do and why you do it.
In case you're wondering why I do it, here it is:
To be honest I never wanted a 'career', at least in the typical meaning of the word. I always knew I wanted to be home with my family. Some of it is because I wanted to be in charge of my own schedule, I've never really liked being told what to do. I know some of you moms out there are shaking your heads because, yes, our children are bossy and often try to tell me what to do. But I've got that Mom Card I can play.
Another reasons is that I wanted to be sure that I was the person who had the most influence and contact with my kids (at least for now while they are still at home). If someone is going to teach them bad habits then that person is going to be me!
One final reason I'll give you is just that the idea of being that mom that has fresh baked cookies waiting for the kids when they get home from school always made me smile. I know I'm no June Cleaver, but I love sitting with my kids over a batch of cookies we've just made and some glasses of milk talking about our day. Even if my 3 year old's answer to "What was your favorite part of the day?" is always, "Playing with daddy!"
There are a lot of reasons I do what I do, some selfish, some idealistic, but now I'd like to hear from YOU. I know there are so many different ways to be the Matriarch of a family, and I sincerely want to know how you do it and why.
I don't really have a career per-say but I do work thee jobs around my kids. One is early in the morning before they wake up and one is an at home do when I want marketing business and then I work a few hours at night. Most of this is out of nessesity. I am so thankful though that I have the opportunity to be with my kids from the time they wake up until 4 when they have a sitter (1 1/2 hours a day isn't to bad I guess to have a sitter, dad gets them after work til I get home at 8:30), and that i can contribute to our finances. I like to work and I live being a mom and this way I cando both.
ReplyDeleteWell..I'm just like you Candice! I like having a flexible schedule, being the 'boss' at home. But the main reason I've decided to be a homemaker when I had kids, was because I wanted to be there with them--I just didn't trust anyone else to take care of them the way I could--not that my way was always the best way, I learned from many, many mistakes. But I never wanted to miss seeing my kids roll over for the first time, or walk, or say Mom. I love being there at the 'crossroads' for them, maybe that's because so often my Mom wasn't. Now I'm not saying that my way is the only way. I know a lot of incredible Moms that work at home and away from home! I'm just not a person that enjoys extra stress, I've never wanted, or needed to be in the marketplace (not that I even have the skills!)I'm just not that ambitious. I am lucky enough to have a husband who has a good job so I don't need to help supplement our income, though I work hard at getting our money to go as far as possible.
ReplyDeleteI liked your description of sitting down with your kids, talking, eating chocolate chip cookies. It's those type of things that have always kept me at home...even now with only one child at home I still want to be there before she leaves for school and when she gets home. I want to be available to take her book to school that she forgot, or grab a Subway Sandwich and take it to her during lunch.
It hasn't always been easy being a homemaker. Three year olds aren't too good at showing their moms appreciation in the middle of a temper tantrum when they want to run around the house with a pair of scissors! The real joy comes years later, when they write you that letter, and they always do, telling you how much they appreciate all you did for them! I love being a Mom, homemaker, financial planner, accountant, chef, decorator, librarian, housekeeper, recreation director, and nurse.
Sometimes I feel like I have the best of both worlds. I stay home with my kids during the day and have a salon in my home where I work a couple evenings a week while dad is home. Sure, I do have those days where I feel like I could pull my hair out if I have to listen to Dora or Diego one more time or if I find one more pair of shoes on the floor or dirty dish in the sink, but then I get to escape from it all and have grown-up conversations while doing something artistic only a doorway away from the baby that will take his first steps any day. I always knew I would not be able to be a homemaker full-time. It's just not me and I'm a better mommy when I'm being true to myself.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts with me! It's so nice to see things from other people's point of views instead of just my own!
ReplyDelete