Proud to be a SAHM? - Page 3

[Melilot Boffin]

I'm very proud of it!

[tootaloo78]

I am very proud of my sahm status! I was a legal assistant before so it's not like I had a high powered career, but I don't think it would have mattered if I had. If someone asks me what I do I simply say "I stay home and care for our son." That is usually followed with questions about why we didn't just use daycare, when am I going back, etc. and it gives me a chance to explain our reasoning, if I am inclined to do so. I think staying home with my son and this new one that is on the way is an absolute dream job. I get to spend practically all of my time with the people I love the most in the world, I make my own schedule and answer to no one (except a bossy 2 year old). Honestly, compared to the work that I am doing here at home with my family, most careers and jobs seem so unimportant and trivial to me and I can't imagine willingly leaving my son to pursue any of them. Also, I am in the throes of morning sickness and since I had to work last time I was pregnant I even take pleasure in the fact that I get to be sick at home instead of at work, lol. So, yes, I am very proud to say I am a sahm.

[akbirdy]

I never thought I had a problem with it, but a while ago someone asked me what I did for a living, and without thinking, I said, "Oh I'm just a stay at home Mom"
The person then said something about that being the hardest and most rewarding job. It made me feel silly for saying "just a sahm", and got me thinking why I did say that...

[Abarat]

When I first became a SAHM 2 1/2 yrs ago I had a little trouble talking to people about it, but now I have no trouble.

I think it's mainly because I work much harder now than I ever have before and I was a damned hard worker when I was employed. I do tell people that it's hard work but very worth it for the lifestyle we want since we do everything from scratch, grow our own food, have chickens, etc. Plus maybe it helped that I started a soap making business after I sold my car. It wasn't worth much but helped me start that out. So I stay crazy busy and am very proud of all that we do and how healthy and smart my little boy is since he doesn't have to compete with several other children at a daycare facility.

[jocelyndale]

I usually smile and point at my toddler.

Oddly enough, the response is almost always wide-eyed "Wow. I guess that's enough." And it's a sincere response. Many people, especially those without children, don't realize the commitment and rigor of being a SAHP until they actually *think* about it.

I've had some folks with careers press me on it, asking how I could possibly be happy wasting my education on a toddler who won't even remember these years. Those people just get looks of misbelief and that tilted head look that conveys, "you did NOT just say that."

I don't know that I'd say that I'm proud. I tend to not be proud of stuff that I just do/am. I am fulfilled, however, and that's important to me.

[hotmamacita]

Originally Posted by chersolly

I'm a worldly, strong, well-educated woman and when people ask me what I do, I have a hard time saying "SAHM". I hate to believe that I'm ashamed but I don't want people to assume that I'm a housewife - because I am not. Anyone else have this problem?

I am proud to be a housewife, stay-at-home mama, 'just a mom', whatever....

[becoming]

You know, I am actually really proud of being a SAHM and have no problem telling people. I don't get the feeling that staying at home has any kind of stigma attached to it where I live, which I'm thankful for. It seems like most moms here stay at home, and the ones that don't wish they could for the most part.

[Mommy2anangel]

Originally Posted by sparkprincess

I'm very proud of what I do!

That's not to say I don't worry about what other people think. Especially since I never went to college and even though I worked prior to ds I wouldn't call it a career by any means!

Please don't take this unkindly, but you mamma's are just like the ones that make me feel inferior. When I meet someone new and they ask what I do, I state that I'm a stay-at-home mom and then they say "oh, I have a degree in x and x and did x before having kids, but now I'm a SAHM". Serouisly, I don't need your whole personal history! :LOL ( I say all this light-heartedly)

.

And so am I. I enjoy being a SAHM. I'm not saying any of you other gals don't. But I feel very priviledged to be able to SAH with DS especially being a young mom.

[chely7425]

I am proud to be a stay at home mom... I went to college and have a degree but I always knew I wanted to stay home with our kids once we started having them. It helps that my DH is proud to tell people I am a SAHM because he is proud that he can take care of us!

[kikidee]

I don't know if "proud" is the right word... more like "satisfied". And I'm not ashamed of it, I truly feel it's the right thing for me to do. If anyone has issues with that, well those are their issues. A few years ago, I probably would have cared more what people think, but since I'm the wise and worldly age of 32 (ha), I care less what people think. Seriously, though, for some reason, when I entered my 30s, I grew more confident in myself. It's probably more to do with some events that went on in my life, but I have learned through those experiences that at the end of the day, if YOU are happy with your choices, then that is truly what matters.

So - if staying home with your kid(s) is something YOU feel is right for YOU -- then that is what matters. It always gives me a pang of sadness to see mothers who feel like they need to explain away or apologize for either staying home or working. I know great women with amazing kids on both ends of that spectrum, and I wish we all could just be happy with our choices and feel good about them at the end of the day, instead of feeling ashamed.

[DariusMom]

Originally Posted by kikidee

It always gives me a pang of sadness to see mothers who feel like they need to explain away or apologize for either staying home or working. I know great women with amazing kids on both ends of that spectrum, and I wish we all could just be happy with our choices and feel good about them at the end of the day, instead of feeling ashamed.

Absolutely true and very well put.

[janasmama]

Proud? mmmm....yes, b/c it is a hard job and a lot of people can't handle it.

More than anything, I feel blessed though....lucky, to be a SAHM, especially in this time that a lot of people struggle financially. I'm grateful that my DH has a job that can at the very least meet our basic needs.

[crunchymomofmany]

Wow! I just wrote about this on my blog the other day...how being a SAHM used to be a perfectly reasonable profession - and how, for a long time, I kept trying to think of other things to say that I "do" for a living. Of course, I've gotten over it, mostly, over the years, but sometimes I feel a bit inadequate. I also often feel like I'm lacking in the feminist category - even though I consider myself a lifelong feminist - because I like staying home. I often feel like I was brought up to "be anything I want to be" but that was only acceptable as long as what I wanted to be brought in a paycheck.

I also feel a little out of place with a lot of moms in town who seem to enjoy dissing being a mom. I mean, I hear a lot of complaining about the driving and the diapers and whatever. I also hear a lot of comments like "If I stayed home with my kids, I'd go insane...I have to work." I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be insulted or complimented by comments like that - mostly they make me feel very small.

[quelindo]

I have no problem at all telling people I'm a SAHM. I was a nanny and a stepmom for a long time before having my son, and I'm thrilled to finally be able to stay home with my own child and be a mom. I have no plans to work outside the home again at any point.

I will admit that I wonder what others think, especially when I hear about acquaintances who are parents and have amazingly interesting careers. But I have no doubt that I have the intelligence and skills to have done what they do if I'd wanted and felt passionately about it. I just never felt driven that way. And I'm happy being a SAHM.

[catters]

Originally Posted by chersolly

I'm a worldly, strong, well-educated woman and when people ask me what I do, I have a hard time saying "SAHM". I hate to believe that I'm ashamed but I don't want people to assume that I'm a housewife - because I am not. Anyone else have this problem?

Yeah, my best friend even said to me, (when I told her I was planning on SAHMing) "why did you get a Master's Degree then?". Hmm, like I'm wasting myself by being at home with my son or something? Anyway, I know that I'm no slouch and that I'm not sitting on my butt all day watching television. I'm MUCH busier now than I was when I was working full time! Heck, half the time at work I'd be cruising the internet or jawing away with a co worker! Now I'm crazy busy with an almost toddler who is a maniac and into everything! We go to parks, little gym classes for him, hang out with friends, run errands, keep the house up, cook, shop, nurse, etc! All for one tiny twenty pound little man. People who don't have kids (or who weren't around them much before having their own) have NO IDEA what it is like to raise a child. I was one of those people so I feel confident saying this.

[Kelly Jene]

I can't stand the "oh you're a housewife" attitude. I am guiding two individuals into adulthood! That is not something to be taken lightly!

I am proud to be a SAHM!

[MilkTrance]

Originally Posted by Mom4tot

I agree with this. Sometimes I find myself wanting to justify by explaining my work history

I try very hard not to do this, but I totally understand.