I was reading a message board this morning about a woman whose dream is to be a stay at home mom. This brought my daydreaming to a show I watch about families needing 'Nanny' to help them discipline their children. Most of the moms are stay at home. From there I revisited the past, I worked weekends (7P-7A), but brought our children up as a stay at home mom the other five days. Dad was on weekend duty.



Our goals were simple. Children need stability and guidance. We wanted our children to be productive adults with a strong emotional foundation.



Back to the 'Nanny' show. This show makes me wonder what the concept of a SAHM is today. The moms don't appear to be stronger than the children. Discipline is unheard of because no one wants to be mean. True discipline is not mean. It is strength coupled with a strong love. In other words it is about the children, not the parent. Discipline takes time and focused energy. It takes fortitude. Standing up for what you want should take longer than it takes the child to act out on what he/ she wants. No emotion or anger should be in discipline. (Although this happens simply because we are human) Family codes and ethics are the strength behind the discipline.



SAHMs are also there in support of the economic provider. She needs be an economic provider by taking good care of the family's resources. (We're back to Proverbs 30) Talking on the phone or any other form of SAH entertainment should be done after the SAH tasks are done.



A SAHM needs an advisor. Someone who braved the field before her. When SAHM feels others don't value her she only needs to step back to look at her intangible assets. A clean home, which goes a long way in preventing colds and allergies. The meals prepared from fresh ingredients in lieu of packaged foods, for good health. The clean and repaired clothes her family has, the clothes that represent them to the community. And the most sought after goal? She has been instrumental in preparing her children for adulthood by giving them direction and strength.



She is the advisor to her children. It is she who is there to correct any negative concepts. Once in a while life goes smoothly for her, but for the most part life is putting out fires and teaching.



Bedtime is well after 10PM. By my calculations her job has a 17 hour work day.



SAHM is not meant to make mom's life easy. I think this is the concept today. Perhaps young people have an idea that it represents status. SAH is none of these things. It is loving your family so much that you want to be there to guide them in every aspect of their growth. It is cultivating a relationship with Christ so answers are found through His assistance when you don't have any. You can poo poo this if you like. I only know I did turn to Him for answers and was never turned away. I gained a wisdom that truly is not mine. It is putting others first. It is the best vocation I ever had!