What do you think about the title SAHM

[sophmama]

I'm not crazy about the title stay at home mom because it sounds so much like an 80's soccer mom who makes jello jigglers and sells tupperware and spends 30hrs a week sunbathing and yelling at kids. Maybe that's just my memories of my neighbor as a child. My mom was a SAHM too but we were SO not mainstream and lived in suburbia so I guess we just stood out - she's still not 'normal' by any means.

I guess what I'm saying is that 'stay at home mom' kind of sounds like you sit around all day not 'working'. But that is SO not what I do- I may not keep the house tidied so well all the time, but just reading endless books and playing with dd is exhausting sometimes day in and day out - very interactive. And we go places a lot and do a lot of stuff -

So - what do you call it? I'm sure there've been countless discussions on this before - I've just not been in on any.

[Pigpen]

I'm with you...I don't like the "title" b/c it implies that you just "stay home"! My hairstylist actually said to me "it must be nice to be a housewife". She is very young and I'm going to say dumb (cause it makes me feel better :LOL ) so I don't hold it against her. Who knows, I probably said stuff like that before I had any notion of what it really means. I think "mom" is the title I like best. I don't feel the need to distinguish myself from other moms because we spend our days differently. If someone cares to know me, they don't need a title to wrap me up in a nice little package. As it is, our society has a weird hangup about moms, so devalued...I feel like if I call myself a "stay-at-home mom" it just gives the wrong idea. I'm rambling...

[QueenMommy]

Makes me think of the line "what idiot coined the phrase 'stay at home mom'" My guess is that it was a man! lol!

I prefer the term domestic organizational engineer!

[indiana ima]

yeah, i don't like it either, though not because of symbolic baggage. like a pp, i dislike it because it implies the kids and i spend the whole day at home. wow, is that ever not true!

i think of myself as a "professional mother", because i may not get paid for this with money, but it is my profession, my career. and the longer i do it (been a mother since either november of 1999 or when i got pregnant in february of 1999 - depends how you wanna count it.) the more i realize that it is like a career. there are parts i like and parts i don't like, and it requires a lot of reading and research. (at least it does for me).

and best of all, i've gotten two "promotions". that is, my second child and my third child.

[Persephone]

I like the term homekeeper. I keep the home. It's my domain, I take care of it. All dh does at home is play computer games and occasionally cook or take out the trash. But I prefer it that way.

I am a homebody, so the implication of SAHM being about staying at home is pretty accurate for me (well, cept for the mom part, I'm just a wife right now. ). I don't need contact with strangers every day of my life, and I only go out if I need to.

[CharlieBrown]

when i fill out forms now, i am a smart@$$ and write *mommy*.
housewife is worse than SAHM imo.

[blessedwithboys]

full-time mother or how bout "career mom"?

[Lisa E]

I'm kinda liking the title of Domestic Goddess right now. I HATE the title "housewife". I'm not married to my house.

[spinach]

Can't stand homemaker and really dislike SAHM. Wouldn't this be a good bumper sticker, diaper bag pin, etc: "Does it look like I'm 'staying at home'?" I suppose it's a tad defensive. :LOL

I usually say full-time mother. But I feel a little sheepish because WOHM are also mothers around the clock so I don't want to insult them. Full-time mothering (using it as a verb) works as an occupational title though.

Indiana ima, Professional Mother is awesome!!! I think I'm going to start using that one. I suppose the downside is that it doesn't incorporate all the other elements of our lives - running the home, etc. But perhaps mother (or Professional Father) assumes that.

[kavamamakava]

I never use it. I say I work at home taking care of my 3 children and it's a full time job. I know it's a mouthful, but it IS work. LOTS OF WORK. If you're not home all day, the house doesn't get as messed up and you don't have to prepare as many meals, etc. etc. When I have the car, maybe it will get a little easier. Or maybe not.

[coopnwhitsmommy]

Full time household Manager and future American Leader Trainer.


Mouth full but Hey!

[indiana ima]

Originally Posted by spinach

Indiana ima, Professional Mother is awesome!!! I think I'm going to start using that one.

thanks!

Originally Posted by spinach

I suppose the downside is that it doesn't incorporate all the other elements of our lives - running the home, etc. But perhaps mother (or Professional Father) assumes that.

well, i don't think any "title" would cover it all. (though some of the phrases posted here come a lot closer). and for me, this job is kind of all about my kids. the cooking and cleaning and striving to be frugal and healthy and mature and etc. is primarily for them, secondarily for DH and i. there isn't a "thirdly", i'm not doing it for appearances or to make my mom proud of me or, i dunno, keep my MIL off my back or something.

[dharmamama]

To me the term SAHM means someone who doesn't work (stays home from work?) to take care of the house and kids. I think that's what it means to most people. I don't mind that term at all, but neither do I mind homemaker or housewife. I don't really care what people call me because it doesn't change what I do. I also think that if you don't like a certain term because of the mental image it conjures for you, that's your own baggage (and I don't mean that in a snide manner). Picking something cute like domestic engineer or whatever makes it sound, to me, like you're ashamed of what you do and need to have a "job title" to feel better about it. I don't mean to sound snotty when I say that. But I honestly don't get why someone would bristle at being called a SAHM but not a domestic engineer (or whatever).

Namaste!

[Shenjall]

I love the positive-ness of "full-time mom" but I understand it offends some people, so I try not to use it.

I've started to say "gee, what DONT I do, would be a better question!" when faced with the "so, what do you do".....It works, besides, people are usually too freaked about the fact we have 6 kids to dwell on if I wohm or not :LOL

[juju's mom]

I hate that too. I was filling out a form the other day and there was an employment question.

full-time
part-time
unemployed

Hello? What do I choose. I work full time 24/7! I love the "career mom" title!

Jenn
baby girl Julia girl:
trying for #2

[Cranberry]

I agree with others that it's definitely better than housewife. When I fill out forms I put MOTHER for occupation.

[Lucky]

SAHM sounds so outdated, to me. (Maybe b/c I don't stay at home...I leave my home daily.)


I've tried to write Mother in the occupation space for my DL renual. The woman at the counter told me that being a Mother was not an occupation. She suggested I write Homemaker...well, I guess that describes part of what I do.

[Marco Esquandolas]

I've been called worse! :LOL

I'm gaining field experience in early childhood development, thank you very much!

[philomom]

I prefer homemaker.


And when feeling sassy--- domestic goddess!

[Doodlebugsmom]

I usually just say SAHM because that's what I'm used to hearing. I definitely couldn't call myself a Domestic Orgazational Engineer because I'm just not that organized! :LOL My house is usually leaning toward slightly messy! Dh always uses homemaker when he's filling out tax forms and such. I said something to him once about how it sounded so old-fashioned. He said, "Well, hon, you do make a really nice home for all of us." Homemaker suits me just fine now!