by Laurie Childree

Created on: May 01, 2009

The stay at home mom isn't appreciated anywhere near enough. Once there was no choice as to whether or not a wife and mother stayed home; it was expected of her. Now that she has a choice it's frowned upon either way she goes with her own private and very personal decision.

There is a misconception that the stay at home mom doesn't work but instead sits home watching television all day. They are expected to do everything around the house alone with no help from the working fathers. Often when the stay at home mother asks her husband to do something he comes up with one excuse or another. It can be tiredness or the fact that she was at home to do it. Often the possibility that she might need some help is often overlooked by all of those around her.

Family and friends alike make comments about the fact that the stay at home moms they know don't work. Now they tend to go a step farther and try to find her a job not understanding that the decision to stay at home is often done for two main reasons. Either the cost of childcare is so much that it literally costs them money to go to work or they want to spend time with their babies while they're little so they don't miss those precious firsts.

The fact that everyone tries to change her mind, tells her she doesn't work and basically treats her like a second class citizen goes to show that she is in fact not appreciated at all. There are times when no matter what she has to do whether it's paying the bills or taking the kids to doctors appointments that she is called to do things for others that never bother to ask if she has anything to do that day. When she tells them she has things to do their reactions are less than pleasant.

The stay at home mom isn't given a moment to herself for rest because there is the assumption that she spends all day resting no matter what the kids did or how much time she spent chasing after them. She can have a sick child and be sick herself and she should still have time to run errands and do things for other family members and friends because according to them she doesn't have anything to do at all.

The stay at home mom is making the right choice for her and others though they should respect that seem to have trouble respecting her decision. While everyone is entitled to an opinion as a stay at home mom due to the cost of daycare making my paycheck negative so that I know I have to find a way to earn additional money before I ever get paid I can honestly say I believe more stay at home moms will thank you to keep your opinions to yourself. We made our choice and we live with it, now politely go live with yours and leave us alone. By the way would it kill you to say thank you every once and awhile?

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