With a Purpose

In my first post, I referenced a comment I received about being a stay at home mom that finally prompted me to start a blog. It happened at a local establishment in the middle of a week day from an acquaintance of an acquaintance. It was the basic generalization that stay at home moms sit around all day eating bon bons and watching soaps. But what really stung was the inference that I was setting feminism back by not honoring those that came before by remaining in the work force. My response? "Thank you for making grossly incorrect assumptions about my life. Now if you'll excuse me, I must make it back to my office before my lunch break is over." I turned on my heal with my 9 month old on my hip, diaper bag slung over the other shoulder, and returned to my office.

For those that know me, I often refer to myself as a part time stay at home mom. I have been incredibly blessed with the opportunity to work from home part time for the same company I've worked for since I graduated college. I do this while also caring for my infant daughter and I couldn't be more happy. But it's comments like the one above that just get under my skin. First, why do people assume that a woman out in the middle of a week day is a stay at home mom? It is possible that the woman is a doctor, fire fighter, nurse, line worker, or any other number of careers that require shift work. Second, stay at home moms are not doing a dishonor to those that came before. In this great nation, we are blessed with the right of choice. We are also guaranteed the right to our own beliefs. To me, nothing is more important to me than my family. It is my choice to fulfill my belief of family by being a stay at home mom, just as it was the choice of women before me to fight for rights like equal pay and employment opportunities. However, in the end, we are all honoring our forefathers (and mothers) by exercising our God given rights.