10 Things Never to Say…
My friend Amy handed me a cut-out from Redbook magazine Sunday. A blogger was asked to come up with 10 things never to say to a stay-at-home-mom. I’m going to re-title this, because I loathe the term “stay-at-home-mom” – but everything else gets credited to Candy Kirby of thelaughingstork.com:
Ten Things Never to Say to a Homemaker:
- When the kids are older, do you think you’ll get a real job?
- How June Cleaver of you!
- Oh, so you don’t work?
- Since you have extra time on your hands, could you whip up a few dozen brownies for the bake sale tomorrow?
- All day with your kids? I can’t even imagine.
- I’m jealous. I wish my husband were rich so I wouldn’t have to work either.
- What do you do all day, anyway?
- I’m sure you’re not the only one who’s ever wasted money on a college degree.
- That explains why your son is so clingy!
- Weird. I assumed your house would be super clean.
She posted the ones that Redbook rejected as well:
REJECT #1: If I had to stay at home all day, I’d probably pack on a few extra pounds, too.
REJECT #2: I would go nuts without intellectual stimulation – but it’s great you don’t need it!
REJECT #3: You must be well-versed in all of the soap operas, huh?
REJECT #4: Good for you! Nothing wrong with being just a stay-at-home mom.
Can you come up with any fun “Never to say to a homemaker?”
Hallee
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Hey Hallee! The one that I noticed that wasn’t on there was, “If you are going to be hme everyday, would you mind babysitting my kids?”
P.S.
Glad you enjoyed this!
You are awesome – I loved it. Thank you so much for thinking of me when you read it.
Let’s see…I had a friend from business school (a male) ask me if I was *just* a Mom and didn’t I do *anything* with my education. /eye roll/
Dude – I probably have done more in one day than you do in a week, but you just keep yourself up on that pedestal. :op
HA!
Yes, apparently my home is supposed to be kept in showing condition at all times. If not, I’m a slob, and my kids will grow up to be slobs, and we’re all sick all the time because of it. Whatever. People are so rude to moms. What do I do all day? Are the kids clean? Are they happy? Are they fed? Are they loved? THAT is what I do all day.
One of my favorites:
“Girl,I wouldn’t even bother with make-up .I’d just stay in my PJ’s all day.”
It really gets me riled when people act like the whole one-parent-working thing is easy.We’ve given up a lot because having me home with our kids was a major priority for both my husband and me.And you know what? Every bit of the struggle has been SO totally worth it:)
People really don’t know how hard it is…until they do it. I get the “wish I could stay home” where they make me feel guilty b/c I get to. Believe me it isn’t without some sacrifices!
Thankfully also that I have an AMAZING husbands who knows how hard it is…you know b/c he can only last 2 hrs at home and doesn’t accomplish nearly as much as I would be able to. He knows its hard work…
Funny. I have had most of those said to me at one time or another. #1 was most recent although not phrased quite that way.
Oh yes, I’ve heard the clingy son one from MIL almost daily. And most of the others!
It is partly genectic. For example, the reason women have smaller feet is so they can move in closer to the Kitchen sink to wash dishes
That was adorable!!!!!!
Blessings
Mrs. White
The one I’ve heard quite a bit recently: “You had so much potential and you opted to do nothing with it?” Seriously??? I’ve never done anything at all this meaningful or this critical in my life!
I deal with this all the time from both my family and my husband’s. Thanks for the good laugh this morning!
Blessings. Lisa
(visiting from Raising Homemakers)
oh number 6 is the worst! because im home bathing in hundred dollar bills! i work VERY hard to make my husbands income work for us! so many two income families have no idea how much we all do without to be able to be home with our children.
So funny and sad at the same time! We are planning to downsize due to a reduction in income. Do you know how many people have suggested that I go out and get a job?
I was created to be my husbands helpmeet, not a strangers. We are not willing to sacrifice our children on the alter of materialism for a big house. We simply care more about our children being raised in a godly home than a large home.
;-)
A couple of my favorites:
“You know, your husband wouldn’t have to work so hard if you’d get a job and stop leeching off of him.”
“When your kids are older you can finally do something incredible with your life.” As if conceiving, growing, birthing, raising, loving, teaching, and caring for children isn’t THE MOST incredible thing I can do with my life.
I heard a woman say about someone else – I don’t have kids yet – “I guess she decided she had to stay at home and play with the kids all day”. It really does bother me when I hear these things but when I consider the source, well, in that case I think the woman had a lot of hurt feelings about…feeling like she had failed as a Mom herself but like lots of other women these days – very unfortunately – just didn’t have the skills she needed. So sad!
I also hear a lot : “Aren’t you bored?! I would be so bored sitting at home all day”.
Um yeah uh-huh I would love to be bored and sit around all day!
For a month of one of my pregnancies, I was on bed rest and my husband had been injured and home on disability…he cared for the children and babysat another child…after a month he said, “it’s not difficult, but it just NEVER ends”.
Oh goodness, I love this! I rarely have time to sit down during the day. Right now I consider this a very guilty pleasure because I got a lot to do.
(Visiting from Raising Homemakers).
This was a funny post! My husband once said something about me being on permanent vacation. I thought “Wow. If I’m on vacation, I’d hate to actually have to do “real work” because it would be waaay to exhausting”. In his defense, he didn’t mean it like it came out. He knows my job as a homemaker is important but he was merely referring to the fact that to him a day at home means vacation. At first I was highly offended, but we laugh about it now.
I know you don’t know me or need my cheerleading but we are doing the same thing.I have been made to feel guilty for not going to work so we can keep our “perfect” home.I guess our idea of perfect is a lot diffrent from most people. It is sad and hard for us to give up our land and house but raising our kids is way more important than anything else.So you go girl!!
Love this! Ive heard all of them.. One of my favorites said to me though was when I was leaving my career to stay at home with my baby, one of the people I had to check out with said “So you are planning on giving up your life to stay at home and eat bon bons?” I thought of a few rude things I could say back but settled with asking for him to sign the papers I was in a hurry.
My husband is probably deploying soon and I’m debating going to school online to finish off my degree (I have 6 classes left to get my bachelors) and someone asked me why I was going to waste all the money when I would never use it. Umm, 1) I have the GI bill I worked my bottom off for so I won’t be wasting money and 2) education is never wasted.
Oh by the way, what is a bon bon? Ive never figured that one out but Ive heard it so many times I wonder if its something stay at home moms are suppose to know about.