What Do Stay At Home Moms Do All Day?

What Do Stay at Home Moms Do All Day?

As a stay at home mom, one of the things I struggle with the most is feeling like I am contributing to my family and society in a meaningful way. It doesn’t help that some people close to me act as if somehow me staying home has turned me into a freeloader dependent on my husband. I swear they believe I lay around all day being fanned by ladies in waiting. Maybe that’s the case for some stay at home moms, but that is not my reality.

So for anyone wondering what a typical stay at home mom does with her time, I hope this post helps to clarify.

Most stay at home moms wear many hats in the household. Here are few duties we perform regularly:

Maid. Well the house doesn’t clean itself! In my house I have the privilege of cleaning the same mess over and over, day after day. The minute I place things in their respective homes, somehow twenty minutes later they mysteriously end up strewn about the place. In addition to my cleaning duties, I’m also in charge of washing endless loads of laundry and making sure dishes find their way to the dishwasher.

Nurse. Mommies have a special touch when it comes to healing bumps and bruises. Whenever my kids injure themselves, it’s Dr. Mom they run to for medical attention. I have bandaged and tended to more scraped knees and fictitious boo-boos than I can count on all my fingers and toes. I have also had the pleasure of doling out medication to non-compliant toddlers. (This alone is a job in itself).

Teacher. Since the introduction of the Common Core curriculum, I’ve been deep in the trenches crafting lesson plans to teach my first grader nonsense words and why there are ten different ways to solve two plus two. I’ve also been known to spend countless hours on Pinterest looking for interesting learning activities for my preschooler only to have her spend five minutes on an activity before declaring she is bored.

Mediator. My kids are 10, 6, and 3. I thought that the difference in age would mean less arguments. Boy was I wrong. On any given day you can walk into my house and hear complaints of mom he took my toy, mom he won’t let me play the games, mom he cheated, mom they won’t let me play with them. Mom. Mom. Mom. I’m trying to learn from my husband how to be un-phased by their constant bickering and tattling. So far I have been unsuccessful.

Cook. Each day I must answer the most important question of the day…what’s for dinner? Half the battle is coming up with a menu to satisfy everyone. My family has this notion that I am a sous chef of sorts and expects to have meals made to order. Mom I want pancakes the way grandma makes it, mom can you make my toast brown but not too brown. The list goes on and on.

Secretary. My duties range anywhere from scheduling doctor’s appointments to coordinating play dates. I’m the resident record keeper and the go to for knowing where every piece of vital document is. My husband is a borderline hoarder, so added to my list of duties is the arduous task of filing every piece of mail and receipt that he refuses to let go of. Fun stuff.

Party planner. This is my favorite! Well it use to be. I get to plan and organize all kinds of themed parties. Of course now that my kids have an opinion about what kind of party they want, it sucks the fun out a little. Mom I want to have a space party with astronauts and aliens. Do you think you can make the Star Trek space ship from cardboard boxes? No, I cannot.

Recreation activities coordinator. If I intend to maintain any semblance of sanity, this by far is the most important job I have…entertain the kids. Whether it be crafts, games, or going out bowling, I need to have a weekly plan for how to keep the kids occupied. If not, I must listen to the constant complaints of I’m bored. The summer time is the worse, especially if it’s a year where the kids aren’t going to summer camp. Nothing drives a parent crazy like an idle child. It feels like all they do with the free time they have is find ways to purposely make your life miserable.

Chauffer. Although I don’t drive, I consider being in the car with my kids a job. I am forced to listen to them argue about what movie to watch ,what radio station to listen to, what food they want to eat and of course them constantly asking are we there yet?

I did the mom math and for all those stay at home moms who believe they do not add value, I created this completely just for fun chart to give you a visual as to how much your services are worth. You do the math.

STAY AT HOME MOM CHART

 

A special hats off to all the working moms who fulfill all the obligations listed above in addition to the work they do outside the home.

What stay at home moms do

If you enjoyed reading this post, You might also enjoy reading 50 Shades of Mommy

 

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