If I were creating a business card for my job as a mom, I’d have to list the following titles as well: Social Director, Cook, Cleaning Lady, Chauffeur, Nurse/Safety Officer, and Chief Communicator of my family. Being a mom is not a simple task. If you think about the many hats moms wear, it’s no surprise many of us are dragging each day. Here’s a bit more about the roles I have as the mom of my family.
Social Director: This job requires me to plan and keep track of the family’s social outings. A sub-role of this job is appointment setter – you know, making all the doctor, dentist, and other medical appointments. I never knew that being a mom also meant being an administrative assistant!
Cook: I conjure up breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. I arrange them on plates and present them with a smile
Cleaning Lady: You can’t just ignore the mess.
Chauffeur: Self-explanatory. I drive my minivan (the one I said I’d never be caught dead in, but now consider the 5th member of our family) to all of the social outings and appointments I’ve set up. Like a postal worker, this job requires me to perform it through wind, rain, sleet, hail, snow and possible tornadoes.
Nurse/Safety Officer: This job requires me to have a full stock of safety items such as ice packs, ointments, band-aids, teething rings, disinfecting wipes, and even chapstick.
Chief Communicator: In this role, I am responsible for encouraging discussions between family members, deciphering foreign languages (toddler/infant speak), and even teaching some members how to talk.
No wonder why I am so tired all the time – that’s a lot of jobs to complete successfully! And I know as my tenure in motherhood continues, the list of roles will get longer (and in case you haven’t already noticed, unlike teachers, moms are tenured from the day that baby comes home!). After reading this list, I have come to the decision that I am not actually qualified to fill the position of mom. Good thing I am in good with “the boss!”
The next time someone tells you being a mom is an easy job (and I especially hear this comment about SAHMs), tell them to give it a try for a day (and night if you have a baby who still wakes during the nighttime). I bet they will fall flat on their face from exhaustion by noon!
(There are many other roles I have not mentioned because a post listing them all would probably take up 3 pages, and what mom has time to read that?!)
What hats do you wear as the mom in your family? If you’re a dad reading this, what are your roles vs. your wife’s roles?
