I sat down to start writing this morning, and realized so much of what I wanted to say had already been written last year. So here's a little second go round, with a few new thoughts...
This morning when I checked my email, I noticed a story on Yahoo's homepage...
you probably know the one, they run it every year around this time...
it makes the 6 o'clock news and maybe the newspaper, and then you don't generally hear about it anymore.
Heck, I can't even find the link on Yahoo anymore and it's been all of 8 hours since I first looked at it.
It's the story about the what a stay-at-home mom is worth...where they roll out the big number and you sort of gasp...and then you realize that's so not even close to the truth that you sort of laugh.
Or maybe that's just me.
This year, I think the number was about $140,000 a year for stay at home moms and about $70,000 or so in addition to their salaries for moms who also work outside the home(again, if I could find the link I'd share it and verify those numbers).
Like I said...so not even close.
Maybe that's what my time and effort are worth for any given year...but I really do look at being Mom as a job with an eternal outcome. The legacy of a mom is worth far more than any paycheck could ever come close to. I have been blessed to have so many women in my life who seemed to understand that - my own Mom, both of my grandmothers, great-grandmothers, my mother-in-law and beyond.
And I know that my actions as Mom will extend through my own children as they grow up and become parents, as well as for the generations beyond them. I find that a little big scary and incredibly inspiring at the same time.
This legacy of mothering I will leave my children is so important to me - it's why I strive daily to be a better mother...it's what keeps me going on rough days and through difficult stages. It's why I try to be intentional in the words I choose, the daily discipline that is necessary, the snuggle times, the silly times and -of course- during the teaching times.
I also know that while my actions as a mom are eternal...they do make a huge difference right here and right now. Having endured an extended illness recently (and now after a year of living with fibromyalgia that has only recently begun responding to treatment), I've seen what happens to in our family when Mom's unable to fulfill her regular duties. Even though Tom and the kids stepped up and took care of so many of my normal chores, things just didn't roll as smoothly as usual.
There was a level of stress that we aren't used to.
And while Tom is most certainly the head of our family, I've come to see my role as the heart as equally important. So often, it's Mom who steers the family...if Mom's eating healthy, the family is eating healthy...if Mom's stressed out, the family is stressed out...if Mom's feeling peace, so is the rest of the family.
It's not a role to be entered into lightly, but I am truly thankful every single day that it's one I get to live.
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