What Do Stay-At-Home Moms Do All Day?

If you are a full-time working parent or not a parent at all, you may wonder, what do stay-at-home moms(parents) do all day? I am here to tell you the TRUTH ABOUT BEING A STAY-AT-HOME MOM! The good, the bad and the ugly! Oh, you thought it was all sunshine and rainbows…ha, that’s funny!
All joking aside, this post is for those who don’t think being a stay-at-home parent is work or that “we have the good life!” It is also for all those new stay-at-home moms who aren’t sure about how it all works yet or maybe even those moms who have been doing it forever, but just need to hear from another mom who’s doing it too!
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THE TRUTH ABOUT BEING A STAY-AT-HOME MOM (SAHM)

PLEASE NOTE: This article is in no way intended to take away from how hard it is to be a full-time working parent with kids.  I have done both and believe me when I say, truthfully, they can’t be compared and both are to be commended. We as women and moms need to support one another, not compare or tear one another down.

1st Truth – Most stay-at-home moms don’t actually just stay at home all day! In fact, I myself plan activities daily for my children and myself. We go to the library, on play-dates, grocery shopping, to parks, to the beach, visit family, to the YMCA and so much more. Yes, it is true, a lot of these activities are fun, but if you have kids, you know it isn’t just all fun. It takes work to pack bags, food, extra clothing, towels and so on.
2nd Truth – Stay-at-home moms are chefs and Personal Assistants. Yep, that’s right. Most SAHM’s also do all the grocery shopping, cooking and errand running for their households. For me, my husband is a great cook and helps out a lot on the weekends, but typically the weekly stuff is up to me as he is going to work each day and just makes more sense. So this means I pack lunches for my son to take to preschool, for my husband to take to work, do food prep for our daily meals and cook those meals each day and night.
3rd Truth – Most SAHM’s are Chauffeurs. Yep, that’s right most SAHM’s are the ones taking their children to and from school, sports practice, daycare, and other activities.
4th Truth – Most SAHM’s are also Cleaning Professionals. I myself do all the cleaning in our household. I scrub the bathrooms, do the laundry, sweep, mop, vacuum, dust, wash windows, clean the kitchen and whatever else is needed. This doesn’t even count the many spills, messes, and toys we need to clean up daily.
5th Truth – SAHM’s get lonely. There are some days when all I hear is poop, toot, crying and little voices saying mom! mom! mom! all day long! It is true that unless we meet other moms at playgroups during the day, it can for sure get lonely. It is important for moms to find other adults to talk to. I personally have great friends and family I can reach out to but some SAHM’s don’t have that close.
6th Truth – SAHM’s are blessed to spend so much time with their kids. The best part of being a SAHM is the fact I get to see my kids grow up, I get to make more memories with them each day and I get to have an amazing amount of quality time with them. No matter how hard it is, I wouldn’t change it for anything.
7th Truth – a lot of SAHM’s work part-time from home on top of being a SAHM. Typically, a family can’t live off of just one income, so on top of all the hats that SAHM’s already wearing, they also are getting part-time jobs in order to make a little extra money for their families. I personally am a blog writer, contract writer and marketing professional on top of it all.
8th Truth – SAHM’s are great multitaskers. As you can see, SAHM’s wear many hats. At one time, they may be breastfeeding and brushing their teeth at the same time. At another moment, they may be folding laundry, feeding a baby and eating their own meal. At another moment they may be fixing dinner, unloading the dishwasher, playing tic-tac-toe with their child and on hold with the insurance company…anyway you get the point SAHM’s do a lot of work every day, even though they aren’t physically leaving the house and going to one place to do so.
9th Truth – SAHM’s are responsible for keeping other humans alive each day. No, we may not be heart surgeons, but we are responsible for making life and death decisions. From getting them safe from point A to point B, to making sure they don’t cross the road into traffic, to ensuring they don’t choke on a grape or they simply don’t harm one another. Yes, that last one can be the biggest challenge we face.



10th Truth – A lot of SAHM’s are educated. Though the percentage is higher for those moms who don’t have a college education, there are still about 21% of SAHM’s who not only have a college education but also have attended some level of a graduate program. I myself have a Master’s Degree and is one of the reasons I choose to still work from home some. I want to keep my foot in the door and my mind healthy for when my children get older.
BE POSITIVE, LOVE OFTEN
Though it’s true we as stay-at-home moms get to spend more time with our children, attend all their school activities and be there for their special moments, most people in this world can’t see past that. They don’t see the mental toughness it takes, the physical toll it has on our bodies and simply how much work goes into being a SAHM each day. Because of this, most SAHM’s don’t feel they can vent or even complain about their day, not to a friend, not to their family or even to their spouse. Well, I am here to say that is wrong. Like any job, SAHM’s need to be able to vent too.
So let’s support one another! Let’s allow one another to feel safe about talking about their day, the good, the bad and the ugly. It is healthy to allow one another to talk about the day we’ve had. The next time you see your friend who is a SAHM say something positive about her and how much she does daily. The same goes when you see your friend who works full-time and is a mom, tell her she is amazing! Be kind. Love more.