Seriously, shouldn't you just get a job?

Wow.

What a way to wake up on a Saturday morning.


Well, actually, I was up before 7:00 this morning.  
I helped get my husband out the door, making his lunch and such.
I got my girls situated for a Saturday morning movie.
I fed the zoo.
I started getting some grocery lists together.
I checked some emails.
You get the idea.


Then, I came to my blog.  
I checked my comments and the first thing I see is this:

"Seriously.  Shouldn't you just get a job?"

From ANONYMOUS, of course (confrontational people like to hide, don't they?)

Unfortunately, my  knee-jerk reaction was to delete it.  So, it's already been deleted.

Then, I thought about it for a minute and wished I hadn't.
I should have politely responded.

Why do I allow things like that to get my heart rate up?

I shouldn't.

I am confident and passionate about the decisions we've made in our family.  Defending them should not get me so worked up.
It is something I need to work on.


Well, ANONYMOUS, if you are reading this post, let me direct you to where I have already answered your question.  Please take a look at this post or look up to the top at the page entitled Why We Homeschool.

For one thing, I do have a job.  Being paid in cash does not determine your worth.  It does not determine whether or not you have a job.


If you look up the word "job" in the dictionary, you will find multiple definitions.  While I do not argue that one of those definitions mentions being paid, I would like to point out that another of those definitions clearly states that a job is "a responsibility or duty".


It is my responsibility and my duty to raise and educate my children, to maintain my home, to provide for my husband and family.


My husband provides for me and my family by working hard outside the home.

He brings home the proverbial bacon (we are vegetarian, so I guess you could say that he brings home the beans).

I provide for my husband and my family by working equally hard inside the home (and all over town, for that matter).

Everything we both do is for the betterment of our family.  
We are a team.
We have chosen these roles, together as a family.
This is what is most important to us ... FAMILY.

When you coordinate your life and priorities with what you actually value most, your life looks a little different.

What do we value most?  
   God comes first in all things.
   Family comes immediately after God.
   A whole list of other things in life come next.
   Money, power, status, material wealth and possessions don't even make the list.
   Money is only important for the needs it provides.

If one values God and Family above all things, one designs a life that supports that.  In our family, that means having one parent at home with our children to ensure that they, too, value God and Family above all else.

So, what exactly do I do for my job?

I educate our children.
I manage our household.
I shop for our food.
I prepare home-made meals from real, whole foods each day.
I pay our bills.
I manage our life.
I clean our home.
I love and guide our children.
I provide experiences for our children.
I make sure our children are stewards for the earth and for God.

I could go on and on.  In a nutshell, I make sure that everything in our life is taken care of so that my husband can completely focus on his work.

I am a nurse.
I am a chef.
I am a chauffeur.
I am a teacher.
I am a friend.
I am a housekeeper.
I am a personal shopper.
I am a personal attendant.
I am an accountant.
I am a babysitter or nanny.


I do not receive a paycheck.
I do not work 40 hours a week ~ I work 168 hours a week (that is 24/7 in case you didn't know).
I don't get sick days.
I don't get paid time off.
I don't get time off, period.
I don't get an annual raise.
I don't get health insurance.
I don't get retirement.
I don't get dental or vision.


According to a 2010 report from salary.com, a stay at home mom would receive $117,856 a year if she were paid for all of the jobs that she does.  Now, since I am also a home-educating mom, I guess we should add the salary for a teacher to that ($48,826 in my area), bringing that figure up to at least $166,682 (keep in mind that those figures are from 2010).


While I do not make a six figure income (or any income, for that matter) and I don't get the typical "benefits", I get benefits that are beyond measure.


I get bonding with my children.
I get to tailor their education to meet their needs.
I get to ensure that my family eats real, whole, nutritious food each day.
I get to raise my own children, ensuring that they see our family's values first hand, each day.
I get to intervene when there is an issue in my children's lives, right then and there.
I get to share experiences with my children, both fun and emotional.
I get to watch my children become the people God has designed them to be.
I get to allow them the freedom and time to become those people.

We get more time for character-building.  Character is important and it takes time.  Staying home with my children allows us that time.

 

My children get to sleep later, ensuring their good health.
My children get to spend time together, ensuring their strong bond.
My children get to spend time with their animals, totally therapeutic for them.
My children get to read as much as they want.
My children get to draw as much as they want.
My children get to play games.
My children don't have homework.
My children get a customized education.
My children get one-on-one tutoring, every day.
My children don't get bullied.
My children deal with much less peer-pressure.
My children get to do theater and art and field trips and clubs ... and it doesn't add to an already over-stuffed day ... it is the day.

In the words of my daughter, "I get to hang out with my Mommy all day.  I get to play games and stay at home instead of go to school.  I get to play.  If my Mommy didn't stay at home, I'd have to go to school and I wouldn't be able to play.  I don't have any homework."


We get the benefit of spontaneity and flexibility.

I guess I could just "get a job".

But, I believe with every fiber of my being that I am already doing the most important job in the world.  I am doing exactly what God put me on this Earth to do ~ raising a beautiful family and teaching my children to LOVE, respect and care for their fellow brothers and sisters in all that they do.

Thanks for the suggestion, Anonymous.  But, I think I'll pass.

Wouldn't it be beautiful if we could all just live together in Unity?
Wouldn't it be amazing if we could live and let live, without passing judgement on others?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could all understand that we all live the lives that are best for our families?  What we choose to do in our home is what we believe is best for the people in it.  We do not ask anyone else to live the way that we do.  It would be so nice if others could just give us the same courtesy.


We quite enjoy our travels on the Narrow Path.


If the Narrow Path is not right for you, don't travel down it.  I certainly won't judge you for that.

But, please, if this isn't the path you choose to follow, stay out of my way.  Let me travel the path I choose.  This path leads to LIFE for me and I am glad I've found it!


"Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."  ~ Matthew 7:13-14