The Value of Being a Stay at Home Parent

After talking to a cousin of mine this morning, I feel it important to touch on a topic I have been on both sides of: being a stay at home parent.  Let me start this off saying something incredibly important here.  I am not judging either side of the spectrum or saying that one side is better than the other (working moms vs stay at home moms).  I'm not saying that either side of the argument is better than the other or that one is harder or easier.  I'm simply discussing something from a perspective that I truly believe in, one I've lived and I miss terribly.

I have heard the argument that stay at home parents don't work as hard.  I've heard people say things about how they must just sit around all day or how they should have time to do whatever they want because they "don't have a job."  I've heard every insult in the book and I've been on the defensive side of this battle.    It seems as though stay at home moms (or dads, I'm just using mom for the sake of saving time) are a black or white issue with most people; either they're the best thing since sliced bread or they're a waste of time and don't do anything.  Either way, it seems to be something that a lot of people are very opinionated about and quite passionate, in most cases.

With that being said, let me express how I feel....

1.  Being a stay at home parent IS a job when it's done right.  Yes, there are some stay at home parents that do sit vegged out in front of the TV every single day, expecting someone else to clean and cook and whatever else needs to be done (and NO I'm not talking about moms taking a day off to have a PJ day or someone in the family being sick).  The majority, though, are involved and active parents who take care of the house, the kids and keep everything running like a well-oiled machine.

2.  Stay at home parents give their child a head start in a lot of ways because the kids are well-supervised in a home environment.  Again, there are always bad apples but I can honestly say that my kids got away with a lot less when I stayed home with them.

3.  Stay at home parents often get the benefit of being more involved in school and other activities.  I think this is a HUGE perk to being a stay at home parent.  I miss being able to organize parties and attend all the PTA events and meetings.

4.  Stay at home parents are generally helpful to other parents.  When you stay home, you have the opportunity to help a friend or neighbor out when their kids are sick or they just need a night out.

5.  Stay at home parents don't get vacation and I'm not just talking about an actual out of state vacation.  I'm saying that a lot of stay at home parents don't even get a five minute break from the house without kids on a regular basis.  Some can't even go to the bathroom without toting them along.

6.  Being a stay at home mom is a rewarding experience but not in the traditional way.  You get to savor every single little moment and THAT'S what counts.

7.  I miss it.  I miss being a stay at home mom but single mama with a  job, it is!  If I ever had the opportunity to work from home (an entirely different discussion), I'd do it in a heartbeat and spend those precious fleeting moments with my family, pulling my hair out when they wrestle in the house again or just won't stop leaving messes scattered about. 

So Salute to the stay at home parents and may I join your masses again (even as a work from home mom) and sing your praises from the other side of the battle line again!