Let me start off by saying that I believe moms who choose to have a full time job and moms who choose to stay home full time are both equally great moms. If a woman wants to have a career and/or needs to do so for her family then I believe she should do exactly that. However, I also believe if God calls a woman to stay home with her children and she is able to do so, then she should do exactly that too. My mom chose the latter for most of my childhood and I can honestly say that it has been one of the greatest blessings of my life and here is why...

1. Stay-at- Home moms do a lot at home.

As the name "stay-at-home mom" implies, she did spend a lot of time at our house. However, by spending a lot of time at home, I mean she spent a lot of time preparing meals (and letting me help), a lot of time cleaning (and making me help), and a lot of time teaching me the importance of taking care of a family. While we were cooking she taught me the importance of a well balanced diet, while we were cleaning she told me that one day I'd understand why that one dress on the floor did have to be hung up, and she taught me that it takes a lot of patience and hard work to make a family work. She chose to be a stay-at-home mom because she wanted me to know these things and to learn them by following her example on a daily basis. Stay-at-home moms are teachers.

2. Stay-at-Home moms spend a lot of time away from home.

On the other hand, my stay-at-home mom was not always at home. She spent a lot of her time driving my brother and me to practices, concerts, games, school meetings, and so on. She was wherever she needed to be to help us and to show us her support. I used to be a cheerleader and there is not a competition that my mom wasn't cheering me on at, and for the many years I played viola, there was not a concert that she didn't attend. Likewise, my brother was constantly involved in sports and she was always in the front row for every game. She also spent her time volunteering at our schools and investing in our education, and was there to pick us up after classes to ask us how our day went. I cannot explain how much joy it gives a child to know that their mother is watching them do a cheerleading routine that they've worked really hard on, or that she is listening to them play a song that they've practiced a hundred times, or that she is there after school to congratulate them on the A they just made on their test. Stay-at-home moms are #1 fans.

3. Stay-at-Home moms are more than moms.

Stay-at-home moms are more than moms because they are teachers, #1 fans, and blessings. It's a misconception that children of a stay-at-home parent are overly dependent. As much as I love my mom being around, it's because of the amount of time that she spent teaching me about life, that I am ready to face the world on my own. Everything she has taught me over the years prepared me to live life in a way that would make her proud. I know how to take care of myself and I will eventually be able to take care of my family because I grew up watching her take care of herself and 3 other people. Yes, she was always there for me, but I can be away from her and be at peace because I know that no matter where I go in life, that even if she can't physically be in the front row cheering me on, that she is still doing so from wherever she may be. Because of her constant presence, I always felt that my mom was my biggest blessing, and the most wonderful part of growing up with a stay-at-home mom is that she makes you feel like you're a blessing to her too.