Promotion, Motherhood and Dusty Glass Ceilings
Friday, June 20th, 2008
I hear complaints from quite a few women about how difficult it is to get promoted. The glass ceiling is something that has often held women down and has only been shattered by a select few. The morals on why that is, and whether or not it should be so, are something I am not going to get into here. I am, however, wondering about the dusty glass ceiling available to stay at home moms.
Stay At Home Mom…it’s a crap title. It says nothing about the constant errands to be run, the household issues that are settled immediately (instead of procrastinated on and worsened because time isn’t there), even discipline and organization are overlooked.
Worse than being a SAHM is being a Mom who WORKS FROM HOME. Now, you may ask, how is that worse? When you work from home can’t you just do things when you want? Don’t you just sit on your butt and watch tv and then pretend to work? What I say to those people is….ppppppppfffffffffttttttttt
I own my own business and it is BOOMING right now. I am not complaining, but it does make it more difficult to be as active in other things as I’d like. I try to make sure the kids are not just sitting around playing video games all summer. In fact, the oldest kid is FLYING through books this summer. I’m so glad he’s found a love of reading. The middle kid has to be FORCED to read, but someday she’ll realize how great it is. The short one loves to read but, since she’s just now going into 2nd grade, is somewhat limited on her reading choices.
People assume I can just hang out, that I don’t have to schedule everything and that we just have fun. I wish that was true. Every single little thing has to be scheduled. Which order the kids take showers and even what time they eat their meals has to be planned in advance. It is a little overwhelming at times, but it makes for a much more relaxed household (oddly enough). The kids know that they have to have breakfast by 9:30 or have to wait for lunch (which is between 12 and 12:30) and they don’t complain when they wake up late. They have to have their beds made and rooms picked up (and get dressed and brush their hair) before they play any games, watch any tv or do any reading. It takes them each a grand total of, at most, five minutes and then their rooms are good for most of the day. On Mondays we do heavy cleaning, scouring bathrooms and wiping down the mirrors in the dining room…the stuff you don’t do every day. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have aquatherapy so they get to hang out on the bleachers at the pool and play games or read. On Wednesdays we go to the water park after lunch with their Dad (or Stepdad, respectively) and on Fridays we go to places we don’t normally get to. Today was the Yellow River Game Ranch, next week and the week after will be the Coke Museum and the High Museum of Art. Weekends are spent with Matt and we tend to go garage saling on Saturday afternoons if I’m up for it. Sundays are lazy days and everyone sleeps in. Since I have church on Saturdays (as well as Tuesdays and Thursdays) it’s nice to have that day to snuggle up and spend the morning with my husband.
It’s a busy life. In between all that I clean, cook, do some laundry (my wonderful husband helps out with that too) and make sure the kids aren’t killing each other…oh, and I work.
I hear complaints from quite a few women about how difficult it is to get promoted. The glass ceiling is something that has often held women down and has only been shattered by a select few. The morals on why that is, and whether or not it should be so, are something I am not going to get into here. I am, however, wondering about the dusty glass ceiling available to stay at home moms.
Stay At Home Mom…it’s a crap title. It says nothing about the constant errands to be run, the household issues that are settled immediately (instead of procrastinated on and worsened because time isn’t there), even discipline and organization are overlooked.
Worse than being a SAHM is being a Mom who WORKS FROM HOME. Now, you may ask, how is that worse? When you work from home can’t you just do things when you want? Don’t you just sit on your butt and watch tv and then pretend to work? What I say to those people is….ppppppppfffffffffttttttttt
I own my own business and it is BOOMING right now. I am not complaining, but it does make it more difficult to be as active in other things as I’d like. I try to make sure the kids are not just sitting around playing video games all summer. In fact, the oldest kid is FLYING through books this summer. I’m so glad he’s found a love of reading. The middle kid has to be FORCED to read, but someday she’ll realize how great it is. The short one loves to read but, since she’s just now going into 2nd grade, is somewhat limited on her reading choices.
People assume I can just hang out, that I don’t have to schedule everything and that we just have fun. I wish that was true. Every single little thing has to be scheduled. Which order the kids take showers and even what time they eat their meals has to be planned in advance. It is a little overwhelming at times, but it makes for a much more relaxed household (oddly enough). The kids know that they have to have breakfast by 9:30 or have to wait for lunch (which is between 12 and 12:30) and they don’t complain when they wake up late. They have to have their beds made and rooms picked up (and get dressed and brush their hair) before they play any games, watch any tv or do any reading. It takes them each a grand total of, at most, five minutes and then their rooms are good for most of the day. On Mondays we do heavy cleaning, scouring bathrooms and wiping down the mirrors in the dining room…the stuff you don’t do every day. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have aquatherapy so they get to hang out on the bleachers at the pool and play games or read. On Wednesdays we go to the water park after lunch with their Dad (or Stepdad, respectively) and on Fridays we go to places we don’t normally get to. Today was the Yellow River Game Ranch, next week and the week after will be the Coke Museum and the High Museum of Art. Weekends are spent with Matt and we tend to go garage saling on Saturday afternoons if I’m up for it. Sundays are lazy days and everyone sleeps in. Since I have church on Saturdays (as well as Tuesdays and Thursdays) it’s nice to have that day to snuggle up and spend the morning with my husband.
It’s a busy life. In between all that I clean, cook, do some laundry (my wonderful husband helps out with that too) and make sure the kids aren’t killing each other…oh, and I work.