So, you want to be a Stay at Home Mom, eh? ~ Part One

When school began this year, Ben was required to complete several surveys about his life, hobbies, family and things of that nature. Typical stuff. He left these papers lying on the kitchen table one evening, so I took a look. One of the questionnaires included a section about his parents – our phone numbers, hobbies and what we do for a living.

He listed me as a Stay at Home Mom. A STAY AT HOME MOM! A SAHM! I was floored. I never considered myself a SAHM.

Well, I marched into his dark bedroom (he had been asleep about an hour by then – not my best parental moment). As I (maybe a little too roughly) shook him out of his slumber, I shouted “A Stay at Home Mom?” Poor Ben. “What the…” he responded dazed and confused.

“You listed me as a Stay at Home Mom!”

“You are a Stay at Home Mom.” He replied, sleepily.

“Am not!” (repeat 23 times)

“Are, too.” (repeat 23 times)

“I am a blogger!” (Ok, so actually, the blog hadn’t quite been launched yet…)

“Not really, Mom.”

“Am so!” (repeat 23 times)

“Are not.” (repeat 23 times)

“Well, I started AND owned my own company for 20 years!”

“Well, you don’t own it anymore, remember?” He was clearly not understanding the importance of his error.

“Well, what about my seminars!?”

“Really, mom? How often do you do that? It’s not like a full time thing, you know.”

“Often enough, Ben – but you’re at school when it happens, so you don’t even know!” I huffed, like a five year old brat.

“Can I go back to sleep now?” He asked, already rolling over.

“First go change your paper.” I demanded.

“What?!?!”

“Change it from a Stay at Home Mom to a Professional Development Educational Consultant, business Owner and Blogger.”

“No.” (repeat 23 times)

“Yes.” (repeat 23 times)

I lost. He went back to sleep, refused to even talk about it or change it the next morning and off he went to announce to the entire 7^th grade teaching staff that I was a Stay at Home Mom.

There I was…a Stay at Home Mom. By choice, no less, but obviously with some strong feelings about what it means to choose to cease being a full-time member of the outside work force and a full-time worker within my home.

A Stay at Home Mom… (repeat 23 times)

More to come……