9 Myths of Stay-At-Home Motherhood

This post is brought to you by my older brother who thinks that when choosing between work and home, the decision is as simple as choosing a bathrobe over a pair of steel toed boots.

In response to his position that being a stay-at-home mom is easier than working outside the home (which I did for eleven years) I'd like to address some of the beliefs society seems to hold regarding stay-at-home moms.

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1. We Live in our Bathrobes

For me, this just isn't true.  I prefer yoga pants.  But a job can be hard regardless of how comfortable your clothes are while doing it.

2.  We Watch Tv All Day

Have you ever tried to watch your favorite show with three children under the age of five in the room?  Yeah, I didn't think so.

3.  We Eat Bon Bons

First, I can't get bon bons out here in rural Alaska. Second, whatever I'm eating, I am forced to share with the tiny beggars who live with me. Where's the joy in that?

4.  We Have Tons of Free Time

Since my goal in being home with my children is to spend time with them, any time left after accomplishing the chores is spent with them.

5.  We Enjoy the Luxury of Peeing Alone

If I do happen to be alone in the bathroom, at some point during my trip I find myself hollering to the children through the door: "Quit running in the house!" or "Give that back to your brother!" or "Close the door! Can't a girl have some privacy?"

6.  We Are Uneducated

I happen to have a bachelors degree in psychology with a minor in human development. What cracks me up is when people say I am "wasting" my degree. Never have I come in such close contact with all that I learned in the classroom as I do now watching my own three children develop.

7.  We Wish We Had Careers

I worked for almost three years after I had the twins.  And since the day I quit my job, I've had zero desire for a career. Raising my children full time is exactly what I want to be doing.

8.  Our Houses Are Spotless

While being home has allowed me to clean the bathrooms more often than I did as a working mom, I find now that we're home together all day, we use every square inch and that means there's often a mess in every room.

9.  We Enjoy Every Moment

My goal is to enjoy as much as I can, but let's be honest. There are days when this job is hard, and gets the best of me. At that point, it's all about survival. Just make it to bedtime. Tomorrow is a fresh start.

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"Of all the rights of women,

the greatest is to be a mother."

-Lin Yutang