The Title of "Stay-at-Home Mom"

Once when an insurance salesman was helping my husband and I fill out a joint application, he asked me what my occupation was. I told him I was just a stay-at-home mom. He exclaimed, "Just! That is a very important job and very rewarding for both you and your kids." I thought about what he said and he was so right. Many women are not fortunate enough to be able to stay home to raise their kids because of needing the extra income. My husband and I decided when we started having kids that no one else was going to raise them for us, and we did not want them to be latch-key kids. It is a proven fact that that situation is not good for kids or society. So we cinched the belt really tight to be able to afford to do it. We had four boys, and the youngest is now getting ready to graduate from high school and leave for college.


I have enjoyed being able to stay at home even while they were in school, not just as preschoolers. It is great to be able to have them walk in the house after school and yell, "MOM! I’m home!" This has allowed me to be able to do things for and with them that I wouldn’t have been able to do if I was working. I went as a sponsor on several field trips, I helped as a room mother at school parties, I volunteered to help elementary kids with the Accelerated Reading Program at school, and I was able to help with high school post-prom decorating - all while many parents were at work. We have even been able to go take our sons out to lunch during college when my husband’s work schedule would allow for the 150-mile round trip to be worked in. He works shift work with a rotating schedule, which takes extra planning. That was another factor determining me being a stay-at-home mom. With his rotating shifts, there would have been times I would not have seen much out of him.


I have done several things at home to help with the finances. I have been involved in several direct selling opportunities. Those did not work out because you have to go out and sell – same as working a J-O-B. I help my husband with his part-time construction business when he needs my assistance. I personally have three businesses that I run from home to help with the income. The first one is raising registered Beagle puppies. We have two females and one male, so we have four litters of puppies per year. The second is my cake decorating business. I specialize in edible image cakes. The orders straggle in throughout the months (including a few wedding cakes here and there), but my busiest time of the year is graduation when everybody is wanting a cake – usually within a three day time period. No stress there! My other is an Internet business, which allows me the freedom to totally work it from home. The business I am in has a great support team of experienced online mentors. There is also a great back office that gets me the training I need in order to succeed.


I have come to the conclusion that working outside the home is not for me. I fill in very occasionally at the local hardware store for the secretary when she is gone. When I get home, I am stressed out and scurry around like a chicken with my head cut off – not knowing what I should try to tackle first on my list of things to do that I normally take care of during the day. I like my stay-at-home routine much better! I do not like when others assume that I set around and do nothing all day but watch TV. I am busy from the time I get up till my head hits the pillow at night. I always have something to do to keep the house running smoothly and my family on track. If you are a stay-at-home mom like me, never underestimate your worth in what you are contributing to your family. It is hard to put a monetary value on some things – and that is one of them. Next time you fill out a form and it asks your occupation, don’t just put in stay-at-home mom or housewife. Put in DOMESTIC ENGINEER. You have earned the title, so why not use it proudly. This is not meant as a term of political correctness. The dictionary says domestic means of the home or family affairs. An engineer is a person who is able to plan, organize, and manage. Us stay-at-home moms have so many rolls to fill and jobs to perform on a daily basis that we become experienced at them all. Being a stay-at-home mom is something I have been very proud of, as should anyone else who has been able to have that as their career. I wouldn't trade it for anything!


Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.


http://www.internettowealth.com/