Pardon a non-Christmas blog post, but I will get to those too. . . . eventually.
I was folding laundry the other night and thinking to myself, what's my motivation for doing this? What will my reward be? This is one of the hardest things for me about being a stay-at-home mom. Most of my life has been spent with work followed by some kind of a reward-I studied hard for a test so I get a good grade; I stayed with the company for another year and am rewarded with a raise; good driving record? my rates go down; I choose the right and am able to be married to my man in the temple; etc, etc.
But in my now day-to-day, life rewards are harder to find. Yes, I feel better and happier when my house is clean. Having clean clothes and clean plates is a nice perk. I hope I set a good example for Matthew when he sees me working hard. But wouldn't it be nice to have some cosmic force say "Wow, you really took it to the bathroom this week! As a reward you don't need to clean it for two weeks!" or if my precious boy after a temper tantrum turned to me and said "Mom, you handled my emotional outburst really well, why don't you put your feet up and enjoy your book while I play quietly in my room without making a mess." Wouldn't that be wonderful!?
I've also had trouble playing the roles of both "student" and "teacher." When do I really deserve a reward? How much work does it require? Can someone else set the expectations for me so that I can enjoy a reward without feeling guilty?
I'm sure this is one of the many balances that I will continue to juggle, so thanks for reading and have a good weekend :)
3 comments:
I echo this post. I believe when people say, "Being a stay-at-home mom is the hardest job in the world," it's not the job that they're talking about. Laundry, tantrums, and cooking can be pretty hard, but there are a lot of jobs that are "harder". I think it's the emotional aspect of being a SAHM that makes it the hardest job in the world. Little recognition, little reward, and a ton of guilt definitely make it the HARDEST job in the world. :)
James calls it a good day if the house is in one piece and the girls are still alive when he gets home. =) He told me if it were him he isn't sure if that would be accomplished.
So the bathrooms are clean and Matthew is still alive after you survived another tantrum. You're AWESOME! =)
I love it! So funny.
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