Alrighty, I'm Gonna Wade in and Weigh in on this Mess

I can't stand politics, and I don't normally weigh in on these matters publicly, but you know me, I've got to put my two cents in when something frosts my cupcakes.

Y'all have been reading long enough to know that I'm a stay at home mom.  Y'all also know there are days I'd rather be tracking lions in the Serengeti than here being driven mad by my children.

There, I said it.  Now just hang on, let me  finish that thought!!

I will be honest that when Hillary Rosen first went after Ann Romney, I hardly blinked.  I'm so tired of the so-called Mommy Wars, so tired of society telling us we should be home with our children--oh wait, no, we should be working full time careers AND raising our children, wait, scratch that, we should barefoot, pregnant and never leave the kitchen....  You get the idea.

Shawn and I made the choice years ago--and yes, I say we made the decision together, because really, even when Mom is a SAHM, she still needs Dad to provide the other 110% of the parenting, so no matter what Mom chooses to do, it needs to be a joint decision--anyway, I'm digressing.  We made the decision together when Noah was born that I would stay home and raise the kids.  I started to go a little crazy when he hit the toddler years, so I went back to teaching for two years.  Having two children is more hands-on than having one (and that seems to be especially my two children), so for that reason and others, I'm needed here.  Again, it's my choice to be at home. I may not always be thrilled with my choice, but I'm content.  I'm smart enough to know that Shawn and I are blessed by his income so I have this choice.  For the moms who don't have that choice and would rather be home, my heart aches.  They know what they're missing out on.  Shawn and I also make a lot of sacrifices to make my choice work for our family.  My heart aches for the parents like Hillary Rosen who aren't willing to make those sacrifices so their children know they are more important than Mom and Dad's career.  They don't know what they're missing out on (or maybe they do and don't care?).

As I said earlier, I hardly blinked when Hillary Rosen commented on Ann Romney's lack of work record.  I did slightly arch my right eyebrow as I was mopping the kitchen floor and telling Avery to get down from the yoga ball he had stacked on the couch, but then, unlike most things, it just didn't bother me.  Shawn, on the other hand, had steam coming out of his ears.  I actually had to stop the man from calling in to the conservative radio station he listens to so he could join the fray in defending SAHMs.  "You work harder than any other woman I know!  How dare she say such a thing!"  Then a man from the other side of things called in and declared SAHMs "Stay at home, do-nothing wives."  Just be glad you weren't nearby when the mushroom cloud went up.  My husband has admitted to being jealous of my current career choice.  He says that when he gets to work and hears his co-workers' complaints, he starts to wonder just how important his job is in the grand scheme of things when I'm at home swamped with an asthmatic toddler struggling for air and an Aspergian child struggling to learn self control.  He tells me that we SAHMs are the ones who will make the difference.  We're the ones who are shaping the future.  And some days, I can almost just believe that.

The point is, don't let society pressure you into how you feel about your parenting choices.  As moms, we all work hard, whether we're home all day with our children or getting a break at a job.  I personally don't think it's anyone's business.  If you need, or choose, to work, that doesn't make you any less, or more, of a mom.  Neither does being home all day with your children make you any less of a woman.

I know this time with my children is only temporary, even on the days when one hour feels like an eternity.  I love my children and I value this time with them.  I'm able to make memories and I'm able to be here for my children.  At the end of the day, as many times as one or both of them have made me want to cry (or actually do it) throughout the day, they've given me just as many reasons to smile.  And that's what keeps me at home with them, banging my head against a concrete wall.