Wait a sec. What?! Do we really have it that bad? Are we really just surviving? It’s like we’ve all suddenly forgotten that we’re not attaching three kids to our back and walking 12 miles to retrieve water each day. I’m genuinely confused. Do we talk about this SO MUCH because we feel the need to prove to others that we are not laying on the couch all day doing nothing? Or do we actually feel unrewarded? While I can appreciate the fact that there are some hard days, I don’t think I could, or would even want to, come up with a list of reasons staying home with my kiddos is hard. I can, however, come up with a list of reasons being a SAHM is AWESOME!

1. I’ve never missed a milestone.

I’ve seen my kids roll over, crawl, walk, and throw up on themselves (awe!) for the very first time. If I didn’t have to, I wouldn’t trade it for a pay check, ever.

2. I can do it in my jammies.

True story: It used to be, if I knew I was getting a package delivered, full blow out, full face of make up, fully dressed. Now I’m like, “will the delivery guy notice if I’m not wearing a bra? Nahhhh…”

3. Because no one takes care of my babies like I do.

Even my very own (and awesome) family doesn’t do it exactly like I would do it.

4. I can take a day off (sort of).

Once in a while you can wake up, look around at the chaos, and say “Nope. Not cleaning today.” Can you imagine if you were a janitor? That shit wouldn’t fly.

5. I don’t have to leave my kids every morning. 

One of my earliest memories is of my brother in the driveway of our babysitter’s house. My mother was trying to get the H out of there, probably already late to work. All while my brother basically hung from her car door, demanding more kisses through the window and begging her not to leave. I was standing a few feet back crying. Do you know who was having a harder time with that than my brother and I? My Mom.

6. My bosses are total cuties.

Sure, they need three square meals a day plus snacks, they poop at inopportune times, and they throw tantrums when you pass them the “wrong” colour sippy cup (how dare you?!). But look at their faces. Those sweet little faces!!!!!!

7. Sometimes I get to sleep in.
Since my kids don’t nap anymore, they both sleep 13-14 hours a night. Sometimes they sleep in until 9:00 or 10:00. Heaven.

8. One word: snuggling.

9. I can always go to work.
…but I’ll never be able to get back this time.

10. I get to be a kid again.
At one of my baby showers a little journal went around so the guests could write well wishes for my new family. One of my favourite women in the world wrote, “The best thing about having kids is that you get to be a kid again.” This is confirmed every day, with every dance or play doh party, with every belly laugh over something completely foolish.

I’m the first person to say that the days can be long and kids can be pretty inconvenient, but does this warrant thousands of blog posts? This just seems very unhelpful to me. If how we feel about the situation is the direct result of our perception, then I am on a mission to maintain a positive perception.

And when that doesn’t work, when I’m having a particularly hard day, I just think of my mother. Raising three kids alone, waking up at 5:00 AM, getting us dressed, driving 45 minutes to drop us off at a babysitters and then going to work to teach other little kids, picking us up, driving the 45 minutes back home, making us dinner, bathing us, and finally putting us to bed. Whew! I feel pretty damn lucky.