On My Heart: My Job

On My Heart:

Being a stay-at-home was my calling from the moment he entered this world.

On Sunday, while Jason was napping, I had the opportunity of leaving him at home with Hubby to make a quick stop to Home Depot to look for some replacement patio cushions.

While perusing the aisles, a young man who looked to be about my age approached me complimenting me on my purse. Weird, right? I kindly said, "Thank you" with a polite smile and he started to ask roundabout questions about my age, and my ethnicity (a common one). Are you getting creeped out yet? Stay with me here. He told me had been "overseas due to [his] prior military service" and blahblahblah he "loves Asian women". Really now? Ugh...

& then he proceeded to ask "What do you do? You look like you're a college student or something."

I proudly told him I am a stay-at-home mom. 

The look on this creep's face told me two things about him:

1. He was shocked knowing that he was hitting on a married woman 

2. He disapproved of stay-at-home moms, in general.

His exact response (and this might make some cringe a little), "Hell no. You are wayyy too young to be doing that to yourself. You better have a man who makes a ton to be supporting you! " 

---->insert more disapproving comments here<------

Okay.

Remember how I told you that my love language is receiving words of affirmation? It also means that hurtful words, whether sincerely or sarcastically said, tend to sting me a little more than it would the average person. I dwell on these words. I let them ring in my head over&over&over. 

It doesn't help that I'm way too modest, humble, cowardly, and nice to say anything in response to unkind words directed towards me. 

With a polite smile (a smile that I wish was a dagger aiming for his throat), I just told him, 

"Well my husband makes enough to support us. And he makes enough so that I have the luxury to stay at home with my son. I love it!" 

Classy, right? It was the honest truth.

I still don't think he believed me. 

But we said our "good-byes" and I couldn't help but feel a little butt-hurt about what he had said.
Again, I just can't deal with the fact that not everyone will like me or like the choices I've made.
I'm working on accepting that. 

Why do people, just like this creep, look down to stay-at-home moms?

They treat us like we're lazy.

Like we're going nowhere with our lives, just because we set our careers aside to raise our families.

Like we're wasting our potential.

Like we're leeching off our husbands.
 Like we're *gulp* uneducated.
Is it because we don't get paid for what we do?

I have to say I know many stay-at-home moms of different ages and backgrounds. And I gotta admit, many of those moms are some of the most glamorous, educated, tenacious, and caring women I know. Not to mention the most patient! 

Of course, I never pictured myself as a stay-at-home mom at the age of 24, but I always knew that when it came time for me to have children, I would stay at home and not miss this young stage of their lives.

And now that I am one, I know I wouldn't change it for the world. 

(Plus, my career path in dental hygiene was just not for me)

This is what God is calling out for me to do right now.

I love what I do.

I've never judged anyone for choosing the career paths they've chosen.

We're all made differently. We all like different things. We're all called to do different things.
Being a stay-at-home is something I choose to do and I feel very blessed to have that choice.
There's nothing selfish, lazy or disapproving about it!
& after my son has passed the age of needing me at home with him all the time, I'll see where God takes me.

I'm glad I didn't act snobby towards the creep at Home Depot.
Not like I would have been able to summon up the guts to say anything mean. NEVER!
But I hope that I left him with a new perception about stay-at-home moms.

I love what I do. Oh, and I'm good at it. So don't judge :)