Rantings of a Stay at Home Mom.

The eternal circle of a mom's world can be viewed by some as luxury. The freedom of time is a luxury, but the question is does a stay at home mom's have freedom of time? Mornings are spent, making lunches, walking the dog, preparing a nutritious breakfast, combing hair, persuading children into brushing their teeth and put on clothes that sort of match, packing homework and sports or musical equipment into backpack, sigining communication books, permission forms, writing checks for school trips, finding hats/mits/shoes/sunscreen/chapstick/etc. Taken one at a time these things are miniscule and as so many of us say "just take a moment". When we combine all of these moments we have at least an hour.

So off to school they go, dressed, combed, clean and prepared and our prescious home alone hours start. Mom gets to come home to dishes, laundry, mopping the floor, raking the leaves, shovelling the snow, taking out the garbage, doing the grocery shopping, putting away the groceries, picking up medication, paying the bills, dusting, cleaning the car, vaccuming, finding dance clothes/hockey equipment/karate uniforms/sheet music/baseball or guide uniforms etc, packing a snack for after school activities, pre-preparing a healthy dinner, walking the dog, making the beds or changing the sheets, cleaning the bathroom, volunteering at the school, etc.

Only to rush to make sure the kids are picked up from school on-time and to watch them enter the freshly cleaned house and dump their backpacks, raid the fridge, fight with their siblings, complain about home work, procrastinate and complain about getting to dance/hockey/guide/karate, more fighting with siblings, struggle with homework.

Then shuffled off to their activities there is an hour to make polite small talk with other parents as you you watch your child act silly, not listen, pick thier nose, cry through or come running out of $20+/hr lessons. Only to put them back in the car and drive them home to complaints about the healthy dinner, aviodance of the nightly bath, antics over bedtime.

They are finally in bed and wet towels and dirty laundry are picked up, dog is walked, dinner dishes are done, halloween/christmas costumes are sewn, toys are picked up, an hour of tv is watched and bed is a welcomed comfort.

What is missing is: social comradery between adults, a PAYCHECK, the self-esteem that comes from making your own money, the break from monotony of life, appreciation for staying home and just being there to look after all the mundane things.

What there is: the kitchen cupboards/fridge full of food to eat during the lonely hours at home, the husband asking what did you do today?, the bugetting to feed everyone on a single income, the constant job as a mediator.

What is to love: Seeing your children's smiles and hearing their fresh from school adventures of the day, knowing that they are safe and that if they are sick or hurt that you are available to pick them up and comfort them, time to provide healthy lunches, dinners, snacks instead of fast food or boxed food items, proud momnets as you watch their afterschool activities and see them accomplish a difficult dance step, karate move, score a goal in the big game, or learn that line of music that is giving them trouble. Volunteering at school to see them run a cross county race, sing in the choir, read thier first words. Looking into their faces and knowing that they are confident that you are always there for them.

Being a stay at home mom is a luxury, a luxury of time with your children. How do full-time working mom's do it? I have no idea!