What did you do all day?

I love when people ask this question…. Because it insinuates that the role of a mom is this mysterious, “cake-walk” , “no-brainer” job that doesn’t require a whole lot of skill- a sort of vacation- a step down from a “real job”. It’s a common perception, I guess, of those who haven’t walked in the shoes of mom, stay-at-home or working mom alike. It’s the vision of a mom, casually waking up at 9:00am- hanging out in pjs and watching Lifetime television all day, a few diaper changes here and there but that’s about it. And the best part- those social gatherings we go to with other moms- you know, the ones where we sit around the couch while our children play so independently in the play room while we sip on tea and eat biscuits together and gossip for hours about the latest news. Only to go home, turn down the beds at 6:00pm and our job is done for the day. It really does sound easy.
Well, now that I’ve had 11 months of experience on the job, I’ll have you know that the skill requirements of a mom (the patience, organization, time management and selflessness), would blow any corporate company guru out of the water. I really think the best place to look for a potential employee who can multi-task, handle stressful meetings, meet deadlines, schmooze upset clients, facilitate team building activities, work all hours of the day and night (without a lunch break) is from a pool of moms- because that is what we do EVERY DAY. And the best part--- we will smile while on the job (whether we are happy are not- because we want everyone else to be happy) and we won’t ask for pay!!!! We will clean the floors because, “what’s a little dirt on the floor”, we’ve seen much worse. And we can handle those painful long hours- that’s nothing compared to 24 plus hours of labor. Lastly, we’ll take only a few hours of sleep before we are back at the job again.
Organization is one of the most important skills I’ve learned in my journey of motherhood. If I’m not organized, I wouldn’t get anything done. Lists go in and out of my purse on a daily basis. I am constantly doing a mental check, “bottle-check, diapers- check, back-up food-check, toys for entertainment-check, umbrella in case it rains-check (even though it never rains). My organizational skills have gone borderline neurotic. At the grocery today, I realized that everything I put on the conveyor belt had to be placed in a certain order. All meats in one section, fruits and veg all together, box food- same area and so on. It was nuts- but it was just my mind in constant “mommy do-or-die” organization mode. As a mom, your mind does not stop-all day. And really, it doesn’t stop at night either.
So anyway, to answer your question, what did I do all day? Well, unlike you, I don’t have time to sit down and talk about it- I’m still working and have a very important job to get back to. Catch me in 18 years and I’ll share with you the role of a mother.