What Does a Mom Do?

A friend of mine posted this column on Facebook that I thought it was brilliant!  It's basically about this single gal who wanted to complain about her friend who had children.  She felt like her friend was neglecting her and had no excuses for complaining about being busy when she was a stay at home mom. 
Lately I feel like I have been so busy.  I really can't wrap my mind around it.  I mean I am home.  My biggest responsibilities are to my kids and the house.  I do have other things like groceries, two callings, husband, family, friends, ect.. but I just feel like my day goes by and I've accomplished very little.  When I read this column, it was all put into words that fit how I feel about my "job".

"When you have young kids, your typical day is:  constant attention, from getting them out of bed, fed, cleaned, dressed; to keeping them out of  harm’s way; to answering their coos, cries, questions; to having two arms and carrying one kid, one set of car keys, and supplies for even the quickest trips, including the latest-to-be-declared-essential piece of molded plastic gear; to keeping them from unshelving books at the library; to enforcing rest times; to staying one step ahead of them lest they get too hungry, tired or bored, any one of which produces checkout-line screaming. 

It’s needing 45 minutes to do what takes others 15. 

It’s constant vigilance, constant touch, constant use of your voice, constant relegation of your needs to the second tier.

It’s constant scrutiny and second-guessing from family and friends.  It’s resisting constant temptation to seek short-term relief at everyone’s long-term expense.

It’s doing all this while con-currently teaching virtually everything – language, manners, safety, resourcefulness, discipline, curiosity, creativity.  Empathy.  Everything.

It’s a choice, yes.  And a joy.  But if you spent all day, every day, with this brand of joy, and then, when you get your first 10 minutes to yourself, wanted to be alone with your thoughts instead of calling a good friend, a good friend wouldn’t judge you, complain about you or marvel how much more productively she uses her time."

I'm gonna have to admit, this post in itself has taken me over an hour to write because during that time (all while still in my p.j.'s)....I've been taking care of the kids :)  When I'm done, I will need to get to making beds. Picking up the jammies, blankeys, chocolate milk cups and toys that managed to get strewn across the living-room floor.  The breakfast and school lunch mess in the kitchen.  And hopefully before lunch I will be able to get a quick shower so I can put on some clothes.  Nice.