My Most Important Job

By Lesley Rousso

I’m a stay at home Mom by choice and by circumstance, and I consider myself lucky.  I’ve been married to my attorney husband for almost fifteen years.  We have three children, two boys; thirteen and eleven, and a girl who is seven.  From a very young age all I ever wanted to be was a mommy.  Well, also a fashion designer, veterinarian and movie star but those were just phases.  Being a mom always remained consistent.

I had my first child at twenty-seven, and dove in.  Needless to say it was a lot different from what I expected.  I don’t care how much you’ve babysat, how many nieces and nephews you have, being a first time parent is a shock to the system.  Luckily, I had an easy birth and I didn’t have postpartum depression.  I also had an unbeliveably good baby who really wasn’t fussy and spent most of his time being happy. So what am I complaining about you ask? Nothing really concrete, just the shock of having to wake up in the middle of the night (that was a tough one for me) and trying to figure out how to pack a virtual suitcase every time I left the house with him.  I got the hang of it though and by baby number two, a nice surprise twenty-one months later, it was a piece of cake.  When my daughter came along four years later, I was a pro.

Now, just like my pal Tara, it’s a juggling act, but for different reasons.  Activities to be taken to, homework and projects, friends over, and a lot more, all times three.  Somedays, the only place I actually sit down is in my car while I play chauffeur.  I am fortunate that I can stay home every day with them.  I rarely miss anything.  I am at every school event, game, recital, you name it.  Often I feel taken for granted though.  They expect a lot from me, which they should, I’m their mother and I chose to be so, but I would be lying if I didn’t say that I crave alone time.  Now while Tara just needs that twenty minutes to go to a parade, I’ll admit, sometimes I’m like, “Shit, another show to go to?”.

These days while my kids are at school all day, if I’m not at Target or Nordstrom, you can often just find me right here, at home.  It’s the simple pleasure of being ALONE with nobody talking to me.  I’ve always loved “me” time, and being a stay-at-home mom of three, I get very little of it.  When they’re at school, it’s quiet and I can actually get things accomplished.  Most of the time these accomplishments involve laundry, but who cares?  I can watch my DVR’d shows in peace while I fold.  Other times, like today, I’m writing an article.  I really thank Tara for the opportunity to write for her, basically based on my tweets alone, she gave me that chance.  It’s been super fulfilling for me in only a way that it can be.  I love my “mommy job” but it’s amazing to write something, and then realize people are actually reading it and they like it.  And, not a single one of them is asking me for chocolate milk.  I also have a couple of other little businesses, making hair accessories and dabbling in graphic design and video.  Guess I got that creative gene.

I wouldn’t trade my Mommy job for the world and I know one day my kids will look back and (hopefully), feel grateful that they had a mom that could devote so much time to them.  I hope they remember my hard work, planning their birthday parties and schlepping them around, making sure everyone got what they needed.  I also hope they are proud of me for my other accomplishments, like my writing.  I think being gratified in that way, having that article to write, which is solely my own, makes me better at my most important job, Mommy.

Are you a working mom or a stay at home mom? What are your thoughts on the subject? Your answer could win you our Housewife Hot Item of the month! This month we are giving away Wrapadoo gift cards! For more information click here!