I recently overheard a conversation between two nice ladies and something struck the urge to ponder within. These two ladies were catching up, as we all do when we've just reunited with a friendly face. But something caught my attention. One of them asked what the other was doing with her life and she responded with "I'm a full-time mom of two wonderful boys!" We've all heard the line "Oh I'm a full-time mom! That's my career!" When someone says "What's your job, dear?" and I hear this response it baffles me. I'm not trying to put anyone down, most certainly not any mothers, but I don't understand why people continue to say "full-time mom" like it's an occupational listing in the newspaper.
Moms are wonderful beings. They are the reason we are all here. Moms are the bomb, in all honesty, and I will continue to say so for as long as I live because without mine, I would not be here today. Not only do they bring us into this world but they also make sure we are never alone in it.
So here's my question. What do they call mothers that are full-time anything else, too? You know, the ones that are full-time nurses, teachers, doctors, chefs, waitresses, or policewomen? Are they only part-time moms? Do they have business hours for the children to contact them by phone, fax, or email?
My experience says differently. No, I'm not a mother but I do have one. A very skilled one, too. She's a full-time everything, actually. I'm the youngest of three and let me tell you, we are lucky to have two wonderful, loving parents. Some are not so lucky. But back to the topic at hand, yes? My mother is not only just my mother but she is also a nurse, a wife, a sister, and an aunt. She's a rock, a confidant, a warm hug-giver, a watchful eye, and an adviser. I'm sure I'm missing something, but you all get the gist.
Anyways, my point here is that mothers have a really tough job and by saying you're a "full-time mom", you're not only undermining yourself but those around you as well. They all work just as hard as you do and we know they all say they love it but I have witnessed first-hand how terrible we, children, can be. We never tell them how grateful we are or how much we love them. We fight and argue and cop attitudes with them because "they're just being moms, they don't understand." But they do. They've been through this before and they're only trying to make things easier for us. But don't think that just because a mom has a full-time job as well, sometimes even two or three, doesn't mean they slack on their motherly duties.
So next time someone asks you what your job is, don't say "I'm a full-time mom." Because they all are.
