Other.
The little girl with big green eyes looks up at her daddy with a huge smile on her face. "I want to be a gymnast when I grow up. And when I'm too old to be a gymnast, a ballerina."
"Now I want to be a baseball player... I've changed my mind. A golfer.Laundry piles up. Into the hamper. Into the washer. Into the dryer. Into the closet. Repeat.
"Do just daddies work? Do mommies work too?"
Food to buy. Food to wash. Food to prep. Food to cook. Food to eat. Repeat.
"Do just some mommies go to work?"
Dishes pile up. Dishes to rinse. Dishes to load. Dishes to unload. Repeat.
"Does everyone have a job?"
Toilets to scrub. Sinks to scrub. Bathtubs to scrub. Mirrors to wipe down. Bathrooms to use. Repeat.
"Do kids have jobs too?"
Toys to get out. Toys to play with. Toys to put away. Repeat.
"Our mommy gets to just stay home."
Floors to get crumbs on. Floors to vacuum. Floors to mop. Floors to sweep. Repeat.
Handsome daddy answers the questions, "Yes. Daddies work, but mommies work too. Some daddies go to work, some stay home and work. Some mommies go to work, some stay home and work. Everybody has a job. Even kids have jobs. Some kids go to school and that's their job. Some kids just need to be kids, so being a kid and playing is their job."
"But our mommy just stays home."
Babies to feed. Babies to burp. Babies to change. Babies to clean. Babies to rock. Babies to hold. Babies to snuggle. Repeat.
Gracious husband responds, "Yes. Our mommy does get to stay home. She does a lot of things at home. She makes sure we have clean clothes. She helps get groceries so that we have good things to eat. She washes dishes so we have clean plates to eat our food on. She cleans the dirty bathrooms that we use all the time. She tries to keep the floors clean. It's a big job."
I look at him with a thank-you smile. He knows. He knows that some days are just plain hard. Sometimes I don't feel like I contribute enough. He knows that sometimes my job is viewed only as checking the "other" box in the list of jobs. He knows that I get tired. He knows that without me at home, our house might not get as messy--because our house might not be as used. He knows that I COULD go out and work and we COULD send our girls to daycare. We wouldn't be home to get things messy. The toilets would be cleaner because they wouldn't be used as much. Our toys wouldn't get everywhere because they wouldn't be played with as much. The floors wouldn't get as many crumbs on them. He knows.
"Yes, our mommy gets to stay home. She gets to play with you. She gets to teach you. She gets to help you bandage your owies. She gets to snuggle you. She gets to read to you. She gets to take you to the zoo. She gets to play outside with you. She gets to watch you grow.
The green-eyed girl lets that sink in. We eat lunch. We play. At dinner, the beautiful little girl looks thoughtful. "I've changed my mind. I want to be a mommy when I grow up."*
Mama. Your job is SO worth it. Even on days that may not seem like it.
*She has since changed her mind... Still worth it. ; )
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