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It is often argued whether or not parenting is a job or not. People who are not parents say that parenting is a choice and cannot qualify as a job because it does not involve driving to work for 8-12 hours then returning home with a paycheck. While parenting is definitely a choice; I would say that it is just as stressful (if not more so) than most paying jobs. Especially for a stay at home parent who is on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even when making the choice to become a parent, most people do not fully understand how hard it can be. By the end of most days, most stay-at-home parents are ready to crash into a sleep coma. Unfortunately, they can’t completely because they are also the parent who must be ready to jump out of bed if their kid(s) needs them in the middle of the night. This results in a constantly tired mom or dad who has the task of doing most of the parenting, chores, errands, etc. I give lots of credit to the single parents who have to do all of that and a job outside of the home.

Since I have started to type this, Audrey has pulled, pushed, cried, whined, etc. to get my attention (and she didn’t start all of that until I sat down to type). Kendal has come to me to describe in detail how ladybugs tickle feet (she is watching tv). Between all that and changing a diaper it has taken me over an hour to create this post when (before kids) it probably would have taken 20 minutes.

This week, I’ve been reading Dr. James Dobson’s book: “The New Strong-Willed Child” (“new” as in revised from the original version). He states:

“Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of raising children between two and three is their tendency to spill things, destroy things, eat horrible things, fall off things, flush things, kill things, and get into things. They also have a knack for doing embarrassing things, like sneezing on the man seated near them at McDonald’s. During the toddler years, any unexplained silence of more than thirty seconds can throw an adult into a sudden state of panic… You must keep a sense of humor… in order to preserve your own sanity.”

Don’t get me wrong; most parents would agree that they wouldn’t trade parenting for the world. I love how they make me laugh with their faces, kid bloopers, and interaction with people. I can’t describe the joy that pours from my soul when my girls wrap their arms around my neck and say, “I love you, Mama!”

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Related posts:

Kid Bloopers!

Mommy Brain (Mother’s Day Series-2)

“The Next Survivor Series” (Mother’s Day Series- 3)

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See here for web-link to article featured above.