Last fall, many of my facebook friends began circulating the above article. As I watched them, and their friends, quickly start commenting and re-posting and high-fiving each other's awesome momminess, I couldn't help but wonder if they appreciated the irony of what they were doing. The article is well-written, and not really entirely in-your-face offensive, but it was yet another one of those "staying at home is harder than going to work and I am a better mom" articles that are so popular amongst my mommy friends. Oh, yes, staying at home is now worth $115,000 a year according to FoxNews or something. It is the hardest, busiest, most demanding and yet most rewarding job of all. We have all heard it.
The irony: each of these women easily came up with the time to read the article and comment on it. At 11 a.m. on a Tuesday. Each of these women spends a fair amount of time on Facebook, as I can tell from the endless posts and pictures... but I am supposed to believe they don't have time to return an email? Just admit you don't want to return the email. That is what I do. Why does making yourself out to be some sort of superwoman justify the choice you made to be a full-time mom? I think it is great that you want to do that and that it is the right choice for you. I don't find it particularly awesome that you need to talk about how you never have a second to breathe due to the daunting tasks you have before you.
I will be completely honest. I have lots of downtime, both at home and at work. I am a decent multi-tasker, maybe, or maybe I am just a regular mom who has managed to balance her life and doesn't need to tell you about all the things I do in a day. You probably don't care that I can handle a full-time job as an attorney, make dinner (most) nights, keep the kids fed and clean and entertained and learning and that my laundry is done in the middle of the night. In fact, I can't say I see any of the moms I know walking around starving or with dirty clothes, so let's assume we all do all of these things.
Despite all of the above, I check my Facebook. Frequently. I play Words with my friends. I enjoy a glass of wine or three on occasion. I let my husband watch the kids so I can hang out with my girlfriends. None of these things makes me a bad mom. In fact, I am quite certain they make me a better mom. Honestly, I have no desire to be supermom. I am pretty okay with being a happy woman, with kids. They seem pretty cool with that situation, too.
Oh, and I knew even as a child that what something is "worth" is what someone is willing to pay for it. If people are lined up waiting to pay moms a six-figure salary to stay at home with their own kids, let me know. I might reconsider my career choice, but probably not.
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