My previous post on this topic served to "get this off my chest" so I'm less enthused about writing the nitty-gritty of it. But here goes, in list form and in no particular order as far as importance...some of my reasons for being a SAHM/homemaker:
1) I'm no good at multi-tasking. Unlike most women, and this probably has to do with being an introvert and my brain working over-time so much of the time even when I appear to be doing "nothing", I don't multi-task very well. Whether knitting and watching TV, or working and being a mom, I don't do two things at a time. Except for reading. I can read and do just about anything else, but then I am an obsessive reader. Oh, and thinker. I think and do other things all the time!
2) My chosen profession, what I went to school for and my other "calling" is just too demanding. This was made very clear to me last week when I had to plan and lead one little half-hour worship service and write a 3-minute sermon/message for Sunday evening at my church. This worship was on my mind for over a week. I could think of little else, even while doing all kinds of other things. It was exhausting! I have trained to be a Lutheran Pastor, but I don't want to do it while being a mom, and most likely it will never be my "job".
3) My husband's chosen profession is very similar to mine--he can't ever leave it at the door to the schools where he teaches. My experience last week gave me a good idea of what's constantly going through George's mind--his own work. Teaching takes so much of his time, energy and thinking and...
4) I enjoy picking up the pieces when George and the kids are busy. I like being the home-body, cleaning, cooking, budgeting, organizing, scheduling, etc. My introverted nature and love of being the CEO of my own business (home) make this easy and never even close to demeaning or lacking status for me. Introverts, Susan Cain says in her book Quiet, tend to care less than others about status.
5) Someone needs to keep all of us highly sensitive, highly creative, somewhat naturally insane people in our family sane! I try my best.
6) I loved the few years my mom was a SAHM (was it even years? It was rare, because she was a single mom for a while and then a mom of kids playing hockey, etc.). I even just loved her days off when she did have a job. I loved coming home to a clean house smelling like Pine-Sol, and mom being there watching her soap opera after a day of working on the house.
7) I loved when my Grandma took care of me, and she was always a homemaker. Life at Grandma and Grandpa's had such a serene, secure, routine pace to it and I need that, too.
8) I have a supportive, loving husband who supports me supporting him and our kids. And who's willing to live frugally with us.
All four of us make a family. We are our own little unit and we like who and how we are. I guess in the end it's up to each of us how we're going to live that out, what choices we're going to make. No one else can look at another and say, "you should be doing it this way", because how can anyone know?
I am one of the happiest people I know. Every day I have some things to look forward to. Right now my favorite time of day is about 4 p.m. when I get to put on my apron, put a CD in the kitchen player, pour a glass of wine or cup of tea and start cooking dinner. And I used to HATE cooking, hate that time of day, and feel overwhelmed and terrible about it. Homemaking is my passion, and it's evident in the fact that I'm always studying up on it, always striving to improve myself at it, and loving it more the longer I do it.
So, there you go. My reasons.
1) I'm no good at multi-tasking. Unlike most women, and this probably has to do with being an introvert and my brain working over-time so much of the time even when I appear to be doing "nothing", I don't multi-task very well. Whether knitting and watching TV, or working and being a mom, I don't do two things at a time. Except for reading. I can read and do just about anything else, but then I am an obsessive reader. Oh, and thinker. I think and do other things all the time!
2) My chosen profession, what I went to school for and my other "calling" is just too demanding. This was made very clear to me last week when I had to plan and lead one little half-hour worship service and write a 3-minute sermon/message for Sunday evening at my church. This worship was on my mind for over a week. I could think of little else, even while doing all kinds of other things. It was exhausting! I have trained to be a Lutheran Pastor, but I don't want to do it while being a mom, and most likely it will never be my "job".
3) My husband's chosen profession is very similar to mine--he can't ever leave it at the door to the schools where he teaches. My experience last week gave me a good idea of what's constantly going through George's mind--his own work. Teaching takes so much of his time, energy and thinking and...
4) I enjoy picking up the pieces when George and the kids are busy. I like being the home-body, cleaning, cooking, budgeting, organizing, scheduling, etc. My introverted nature and love of being the CEO of my own business (home) make this easy and never even close to demeaning or lacking status for me. Introverts, Susan Cain says in her book Quiet, tend to care less than others about status.
5) Someone needs to keep all of us highly sensitive, highly creative, somewhat naturally insane people in our family sane! I try my best.
6) I loved the few years my mom was a SAHM (was it even years? It was rare, because she was a single mom for a while and then a mom of kids playing hockey, etc.). I even just loved her days off when she did have a job. I loved coming home to a clean house smelling like Pine-Sol, and mom being there watching her soap opera after a day of working on the house.
7) I loved when my Grandma took care of me, and she was always a homemaker. Life at Grandma and Grandpa's had such a serene, secure, routine pace to it and I need that, too.
8) I have a supportive, loving husband who supports me supporting him and our kids. And who's willing to live frugally with us.
All four of us make a family. We are our own little unit and we like who and how we are. I guess in the end it's up to each of us how we're going to live that out, what choices we're going to make. No one else can look at another and say, "you should be doing it this way", because how can anyone know?
I am one of the happiest people I know. Every day I have some things to look forward to. Right now my favorite time of day is about 4 p.m. when I get to put on my apron, put a CD in the kitchen player, pour a glass of wine or cup of tea and start cooking dinner. And I used to HATE cooking, hate that time of day, and feel overwhelmed and terrible about it. Homemaking is my passion, and it's evident in the fact that I'm always studying up on it, always striving to improve myself at it, and loving it more the longer I do it.
So, there you go. My reasons.
Comments
You're right, we do each have our own story to write. I saw a picture on the interwebs the other day, "Don't judge my path until you've traveled my journey." Or something like that. I think that's a good thing to remember.