Don't ever say this to a stay at home mom - Guest Post

Hi! I'm Stephanie over at Moments That Take My Breath Away. I started my blog as a way to document our lives with our baby Grace. I love to feature cute baby pictures, our favorite books and money saving tips.

I am a stay at home mom to an amazing little girl. As many of you know, it can be quite a struggle adjusting to this new "job." And yes, it is a job sometimes. There are days when I can't wait for my husband to get home so I can get even the tiniest break. But I love it. I love being able to see my daughter grow every day and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Let me give you some quick background, I worked in the library world for 5 years after college. I worked full time and got my Masters in Library Science degree along the way. I got promoted and was making my way into upper management when I got pregnant. Being a librarian is not a job you can do at home. Everyone I knew in my library system always went back to work after having their children. I fully respect working moms (I think the amount of things they're able to handle is amazing!) but I always wanted to be a stay at home mom, so about a month after having Grace, I quit.

People have had odd reactions to my decision and I've heard some pretty rude comments along the way. Here's my list of things never to say to a stay at home mom!

1. "I know you're not busy, can you watch my child/bake/run this errand for me"
Because I don't "work," I obviously have nothing to do all day. Of course I have time to do all of your little chores! I'll just leave Grace with you and you can handle the diaper changes, feedings, and teething fits that we are dealing with right now.

2. "Why did you waste your time/money getting your degrees if you were just going to quit before you could do anything with it?"
So I could be smarter than you. This question infuriates me. Education is never a waste. I chose to better myself and when I choose to go back to work, having these degrees will help.

3. "I wish we were rich enough for me to stay home!"
We worked hard before we had Grace to enable me to stay home. We bought a smaller house, didn't buy new cars, and carefully budgeted to ensure that we could live on a single income. If we were rich, we wouldn't be living in the Midwest, that's for sure!

4. "So will you get a real job when she's in school?"
I have a real job. Let's trade for a day and see how you do.

5. "What do you do all day?"
I eat bonbons and relax in the bath. Seriously people.

I know there are more, but these are the ones that come up most often.

I know working moms get some pretty nasty comments too. What kind of comments have you heard about your parenting choices?

Thanks for reading! I'd love to have you check out more at Moments That Take My Breath Away.


Thanks for taking over for the day, Stephanie!