
At what point does being a stay-at-home mum, mean you’re just lazy?
I’ve been asking myself this question over the past few days, after an interaction with a ‘friend’ that I hadn’t spoken to in about five years. We bumped into one another while my son was in his Taekwondo class, and during our conversation she asked me what I had been up to.
Watch: Things mums never say at Christmas. Post continues below.
It’s a fairly broad question, and one that I didn’t have a prepared answer for. How do you explain the past five years? There were things she knew 'I had been up to' during this time, so I did not really feel the need to go over it all. So, my standard response was, "Nothing?"
And that's when it happened.
"I don’t know how you can do nothing!"
"Don’t you get bored?"
"I’ve been working since *Miss11* was in full time school because I would go crazy!"
"I have to show my kids that I’m a good role model."
"I’m independent. If my husband left me, I’d be able to support myself."
And it went on. I just stood there, stunned that someone whom I’m meant to be friends with (and I use that term loosely) would actually openly offend me in front of my children, her children and whomever else may have been listening to our conversation.
At that point, I felt like I had nothing to say to her. She continued to tell me how busy she has been, and that she is never at Taekwondo because her Dad takes them so she can keep busy. I just let her keep on talking.
I guess it was at that point that I started to analyse what it means to be a stay-at-home mum. I don’t really have the ‘village’ support that people talk about when it comes to taking care of my kids. My husband has a business to run, and his mum is living in a retirement village. My parents don’t live nearby and are often helping my sisters with their kids, plus my mum is a carer for a young lady who has severe autism and epilepsy.
I couldn’t imagine asking them to help me, just so I could return to work to earn a few dollars. I’m in the fortunate position to be able to stay home for a little longer and support my kids and my husband in all the things that they are achieving, and so here I am. A stay-at-home mum.
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