If you are a mom and you do not stay at home with your kids for whatever reason, I salute you! You are amazing. You do it all. I cannot imagine how hard it must be to work all day and come home and be the mom. If you would prefer to stay home with your kids and can't for financial reasons, please don't take this list the wrong way. I know how lucky I am. I thank God everyday for giving me the gift of being at home with my kids.
That being said, sometimes I get so sick of being the mom all day every day that I have to remind myself of the good things about not working outside of the home. So, I've made a list (again) that helps me remember why I love my job. I just love lists.
So in no particular order, these are the things that come to mind...
1. There are no deadlines to meet. When I worked in an office I dreaded Fridays. I always had to submit a weekly report. Ugh. And in school there were always tests and finals. It seemed like up until I was a mom, there was always something that needed to be completed by a certain time. Now no one is telling me my laundry has to be done by Friday, or the girls need to know their letters by age 4 or I need to be back at my pre-pregnancy weight in 6 months. I like that about my job.
2. No one is judging my performance (besides me) No one is going to give me a performance review or tell me in which areas I need to step it up. There are no raises or promotions to fight for. I just do my job to the best of my ability and I don't have to worry about a boss looking over my shoulder. I'm the boss lady around here.
3. I don't have to deal with annoying coworkers or crazy customers. The cool thing about working with kids is that they are still developing. They are moldable. They are teachable and correctable. An adult is pretty much the way they are going to be and you simply put up with it and keep your distance if he/she gets under your skin. I used to have some really annoying coworkers. A lady who microwaved fish every day, a guy that bought smelly kimchi everyday, and a guy that cooked popcorn every day at 3:00 so you can imagine what the office smelled like... smelly fishy buttery kimchi... yum. There were gossipy ladies, creepy tech support reps that would make inappropriate comments and wear too much cologne and customers who would make me cry on the drive home. And it's not like I had a horrible job. I just had a job. That's what you deal with when you have a job. I forget that sometimes.
4. No traffic! Wahooo! I used to need about an hour to cool down from the hour long commute with drivers from hell. Where did this people come from and what was their problem? I'll never know. And now, I don't even think about it.
5. I get to stay in my pajamas as long as I want. Well, I do have to drop off the kids at school in regular clothes but now that it's summer I can wear whatever I want. Freedom. I used to wake up every single day and shower, blow dry my hair, do my make up and chose a work appropriate outfit. Exhausting.
6. I have the freedom to do whatever I want. I can go to the beach or go for a bike ride or go to the park. The possibilities are endless.
7. I can eat home cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner. I don't have to eat a packed lunch or pay a fortune to eat out at a restaurant or drive through Taco Bell. I can make a sandwich or salad from scratch here from my fridge. A lot of people eat two or three meals a day away from home because they are not home and do not have the luxury of looking in the fridge to see what's available. Expensive and unhealthy.
8. I can workout in the morning and shower at lunch. When I worked, I used to get up at 5:00AM to drive to the gym then go to work. Now I can work out during nap time or lunch time. I can also wait to take a shower until it's convenient.
9. I have to bring the kids but I can hang out with friends during the day. Most of my friends have kids and are stay-at-home-moms as well. If I worked I would rarely see them.
10. I used to sit at a desk for about 8 hours a day. I rarely got to go outside. Now I can go outside whenever I want to. I love being outside. And even if I am inside, I can walk around.
11. I can do my grocery shopping in the morning when the stores are empty-ish! Love that. (Although I have to admit that there are way more people not working than I expected when I first started venturing out on a Monday morning at 10:00AM after having a 9 to 5 job. Who are these people and why aren't they at work?) I can also go to the mall or any clothing store when most people are at work. Most places are so unbelievably crowded during the evening and weekends.
12. But best of all, I get a front row seat to my kids' lives. I never miss a thing. I never miss a first laugh, a first step, first time riding their bike without training wheels, first time swimming without floaties, first loose tooth, and in Mya's case, first time they swallow their first tooth =). I get to see it all. I'm the first one they see when they get up in the morning and the last person they see before they go to sleep (Well Dan too when he's home) I get to hear about their day when I pick them up from school. I get to help them with their homework and make sure they are getting it. I'm here, all day, every day.
13. I get to pour into them. I get to teach them about manners, Jesus, kindness, love and how to say I'm sorry when I make mistakes. Sometimes it's a lot of pressure being their main example but I wouldn't have it any other way.
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