Last week as I was driving my children to school, my son asked me out of the blue “Mom, what do you do all day when we are at school?” My daughter chimed in with,” Yeah…what DO you do all day?”
I am a stay at home mom, and I am used to being asked this question by various people who have day jobs. I have always found it hard to articulate to them what I do all day, and I am never really sure once I have tried to explain to them what I do that the other person really sees it as a “real” job. But, somehow when my children were asking me, I felt cornered, and I felt I needed to really let them know what I do. But, I had no idea how to really explain it to them.
So, I looked at them in my rear view mirror, and I told them that I needed to go grocery shopping and then I needed to send out some emails for my son’s Cub Scout pack. My son said, “That’s it…just grocery shopping and sending emails? That doesn’t sound so hard!”
Part of me was upset that he would say that, but then I realized I guess I had never really explained what I truly did all day to anyone…not even myself. I just do what needs to be done and go along with my day. So, I decided for a week to write down any and every role I play (plus a few that are seasonal). So, the next time you say you have a hundred other things you need to do…take a look at my list because you probably do!
Whether you are a stay at home mom or a working outside the home mom, you know that your role is so much more than the title “working “ or “ stay at home”. Some of these roles I play may be laughed at by some, but if you are a mom…you will read this list and completely see where I am coming from (at least, I hope you do!).
So, here is the answer to what I do all day (in no particular order of importance):
1) Taxi driver
2) Gardener
3) Security guard
4) Warden
5) Short order cook
6) Housekeeper
7) Personal shopper
8) Personal assistant
9) CEO of my home
10) CFO of my home
11) COO of my home
12) Zoo keeper
13) Groundskeeper
14) Nutritionist/dietician
15) Prep chef
16) Ringleader
17) Event coordinator
18) Logistics manager
19) Medic
20) Cheer leader
21) Hot glue repairwoman
22) Time keeper
23) Hair dresser
24) Stylist
25) Interior designer
26) Seamstress
27) Laundress
28) Psychologist
29) Small tech support
30) Teacher
31) Librarian
32) Soccer mom
33) Ballet mom
34) Piano coach
35) Church class teacher
36) Secretary
37) Chef (yes..a prep chef, cook and chef are completely different!)
38) Daisy Leader
39) Cub Scout advancement chair
40) Contributor for WMB
41) Wife
42) Friend
43) Daughter
44) Sister
45) Cousin
46) Niece
47) Granddaughter
48) Photographer
49) School volunteer
50) Kid’s movie critic
51) Censorship chairwoman
52) Clutter management specialist
53) Treasurer
54) Small time handyman
55) Hazmat clean up
56) Body guard
57) Research coordinator
58) Wine connoisseur
59) Diva
60) Family spokesperson
61) Costume designer
62) Make up artist
63) Holiday decorator
64) 24 hour ER nurse
65) Super hero
66) Comedienne
67) Family historian
68) Investigative reporter
69) Background checker
70) Homework checker
71) Actress
72) Fact checker
73) Story teller
74) Pumpkin carver
75) Political correctedness guide
76) Role model
77) Gracious loser
78) Taste tester
79) Professional sniffer
80) Crisis interventionist
81) Team snack coordinator
82) Baseball mom
83) Bike safety specialist
84) Lifeguard
85) Chaperone
86) Fashion police officer
87) Videographer
88) Car detailer ( I do occasionally wipe down the inside with Clorox wipes!)
89) Drill sergeant
90) Magician
91) Multi tasker
92) Concierge
93) Etiquette/manners coach
94) Master Lego builder
95) Bad dream slayer
96) Emergency contact
97) Private tutor
98) Life coach
99) Monster slayer
100) Artist
And on top of all of that, I am also a mom. I want my children to know what goes on “behind the scenes” of their clean sheets on their beds, their freshly packed lunches every morning, clean toilets and age appropriate movies. I found out that hearing the age old question of “What do you do all day?” didn’t really bother me until I heard it from my own children.
It felt good to put it down in writing to see what I actually do, and now I can really articulate to another person what I am actually doing. No wonder I feel like I have a hundred things I need to do… I truly do!!! I am printing this list out and posting it where every single important paper goes in our home…the refrigerator!! It will be a good place to cover up where the “housekeeper” forgot to wipe!!
Have you tried to explain to your children what you do all day whether you are a work outside the home mom or a stay at home mom?
This is an original post to World moms Blog by Meredith. You can read about her life in Nigeria as an expat and her transition back to the U.S. on her blog http://www.wefoundhappiness.blogspot.com/.
Photo credit to Flickr Creative Commons.
My kids have asked me the same question more than once. I’m not a stay-at-home mom, but because my work area is very restricted, they can only see a big fence and woods when I show them ‘where I work’. It took some creativity, showing them pictures of my working spaces, to explain to them that I’m NOT hiking in the woods all day 🙂
Still it’s difficult for them to grasp that ‘taking care of microbes’ and ‘working on the laptop’ takes 8 hours a day and can be considered ‘work’. After all, raising those tiny microbes can’t be thàt difficult and laptop time is fun for them!
Oh, and I did giggle at your list. So true!
Awesome!
Love that list!!!
I love this post! You cover the question in a humorous yet real way. I too stay at home, and there is never down time. Not even when I’m sick. It all still needs to chug along, and I’m at the helm. My son once said maybe I should take on such and such a task since I’m the one who’s home all day. My husband jumped in to cover that quick, explaining how much I do (and earning himself some wife goodwill points).
I don’t see nothing wrong in saying that yes, that day it was all you had to do, because sometimes days are slow so you can have some “you time”. As Tara said, we don’t have holidays or days off, really. We can’t get sick days. So when there is a slow day we should just enjoy it and not to be ashamed of it.
Meredith, I sometimes ask myself what I actually accomplish because days seem to fly by and I never finish everything on my to-do list. I have to say…I know I do ‘a lot’ for my family, but seeing that list made my jaw drop when I realized how ‘a lot’ really means 🙂