So You Just Stay at Home?

I was asked this question the other day, while at the pool with all seven kids. As soon as she asked it, the things I do in a day flashed before my eyes like a fast motion movie clip.

I was a bit dumbfounded and wasn’t sure what to say, so I simply said, “Yes, I stay at home.”  What I really wanted to do was list all the things I do in a day while I just stay at home.

I am Head Chef which means not only cooking but trying to incorporate healthy choices and listening to the many complaints of my restaurant patrons. It also means making sure the kids actually clean up the kitchen and dining room to my standards which my husband reminds me even I can’t meet.

I am Chauffeur which means driving my periwinkle blue 15 passenger, not so small, van around a small town and finding parking that will actually hold said van without leaving the back end sticking disastrously into traffic.  It also includes buckling, unbuckling, loading and unloading Blue Bertha without running boards so I feel as though I’m doing the high jump each time I enter and exit.

I am Doctor as well. I have to distinguish between real and fake cries of pain, determine the extent of numerous injuries ranging from a pinched finger to a bleeding eye. Once the injury is examined I have to decide what course of action needs to be taken, all while trying to soothe the patient who wants nothing to do with any sort of treatment.

I am the Social Planner. The calendar is mine to organize and keep track of. Noting the activities of 9 people on a daily basis is nothing short of a miracle and can be likened to trying to wrap up the legs of an angry octopus.

Don’t forget Maid. Any mom of little ones would agree this is a mountainous job. Somehow toddlers are capable of destroying a room faster than Mom can put things away. While Maid Mom puts away the laundry, said toddler can dump all the games into a pile, happily mix the pieces together, pull out the crayons to color a beautiful picture on the wall and dump the new box of 500 hair ties into the still damp bathtub. With a smile on her face, Maid Mom thinks she’s accomplished something in her day, until she leaves her bedroom to find Toddler smeared head to toe in shaving cream, holding a crayon, a game piece and a few stray hair ties.

Add Teacher into the mix and you’ve created the perfect storm. But when someone asks me if I just stay home there just isn’t enough time to explain all that I do in a day. And they probably wouldn’t get it anyway because I know I didn’t get it before I just stayed home with my kids.

To all you Just-Stay-at-Home-Moms, know you’re not alone. There are a few people in this world that understand what you do all day! They are the other Just-Stay-At-Home-Moms.
 

Sarah Schwab