About “occupation: SAHM”
The original title of this blog, when it was created in May 2004, was something like – This Mommy in the Kitchen.
It was not intended to be a food blog though. I thought it was a nice metaphor for the life I had. I was a newbie in the kitchen, and also a newbie in balancing my responsibilities as a wife, a mother, a career woman. My life felt like an experiment after another, just like my attempts in the kitchen.
There was already a lot of thinking whether or not I should be a stay-at-home mom when my son was born. But I hemmed and hawed and thought it best to try juggling parenthood, homemaking and a fledgling career.
But eventually my husband and I made the crucial decision* that I would be a stay-at-home mom. And believe me, it was and still is the wisest decision we have ever made.
But just like any one who is facing a new job, I had some adjustments to make. One of these was – what should I write in those forms? Application forms, survey forms, all sorts of forms.
I was loving every moment of my new career, but those forms in front of me made me feel like I was a nobody. Oh sure, there were staunch believers who backed me up and said I was the COO (Chief Operating Officer) of my home, but it sounded so lame. Like a blatant attempt to make people believe I am important, I have worth.
And so I realized there is no other title more perfect than a SAHM or a Stay-At-Home Mom. It was a title I decided I ought to embrace with joy. With pride. With gusto.
This was put to the test when my husband and I went to see a preschool for my son. A Student Application Form was given to me. I wrote all of our personal information until arrived in that space below “Mother’s Name.”
“occupation: ______”
I took a deep breath and scrolled “SAHM – Stay-At-Home Mom.”
And then I thought, wouldn’t that be a lovely blog title?
I promptly searched Google for any blog that might be carrying that title already. I loved it but it would lose its meaning and significance if somebody already had it first.
There was none. Endless hours looking all over the net and I saw none. I knew it was yet another sign that God approved of my being a SAHM.
And so occupation: SAHM was up.
***
My being a SAHM does not mean I no longer pursue any income opportunities.
I still do. But there are some things that must be considered before I grab a chance. The home is still my top priority.
I also admit that there are a handful of forms where I need to drop the SAHM and write the money-raising jobs that I do. Let me clarify though, that it does not affect my love and respect for my real job title. It’s just that these companies have yet to quantify the value of a SAHM. I wish though, that companies with these forms would soon recognize the immeasurable worth of a SAHM.
*Note: this decision was already made months prior to the publication of the blog post.
Cookie:
I remember what my bro-in-law told me when he found out that my husband and I decided that I would be an SAHM. He said that no other career in the world can compare to that of being a Mother. It was and still is the ultimate sacrifice that a woman can make.
Mabuhay ang mga Nanay sa bahay!!
Cookies last blog post..Weekly Question : An Extra Hour
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8 July 2008, 10:19 amJO:
my blog title just came from the template that i decided to use.
as for my URL, well, you can just read it here.
JOs last blog post..JULYvely
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8 July 2008, 10:58 amchesca (exskindiver):
hi cess,
like you, i am proud to be mother.
a mother that stays to raise kids is not something to sneeze at.
~chesca
chesca (exskindiver)s last blog post..Sneak Preview
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8 July 2008, 1:48 pmBambi:
know what, if SAHMs like us were to get paid, we’d have a 6 figure income (^_^) it is, afterall, a 24-hr, 7-day-a-week job right?
Bambis last blog post..Shuffle
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8 July 2008, 9:30 pmWenchie:
Hi Cess, sorry my friend I read your email so late, wasn’t able to reply…. Smile my friend. And yes, re: the choice to be a sahm, it’s a lifetime career, no other careers in this world can beat ours. I had some apprehensions too when I decided to forego a very rewarding job in the gov’t., but whenever I see my four kids growing up (so fast) with me on their side, it’s all worth it…Cheers to all Stay At Home Moms!
Wenchies last blog post..<a href=”http://thesweetlife-rowena.blogspot.com/2008/07/tips-for-perfect-wash.html” rel=”nofollow”>Tips For A Perfect Wash</a>
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8 July 2008, 9:36 pmtikey:
I really wish i could be one… hay ang hirap ng buhay kahit super miss ko baby ko i really need to woek. huhuh
tikeys last blog post..’till June 7
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9 July 2008, 8:04 amfeng:
I so agree with Cookie.
I remember a close Mommy friend who was asks by someone so anonymous corporate-looking Mommy while waiting for their turn in the pedia’s clinic: “What do you do for a living?” Eto sagot nya, pamatay at sobrang taray din sa hirit: “I am very lucky to have the best job in the world. I do a little bit of everything. I put in long hours but the pay is great!” And then she left it at that!
fengs last blog post..HE NOW REFUSES AFTERNOON NAPS
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9 July 2008, 10:22 amRach (Heart of Rachel):
When I left my job and decided to be a full time mom, I went through some adjustments too. Some relatives or friends would say something that would make me feel somewhat inadequate but through the years I learned to be proud of being a SAHM.
Thanks for sharing about the history behind your blog’s name. Very interesting.
Rach (Heart of Rachel)s last blog post..How to Make a Cabbage Paper Mache
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9 July 2008, 10:02 pmzherwin:
being a full-time mom is the hardest of all job, i just think of my mom and whoa, what we do in the office is nothing compared to what moms do in the house. kaya saludong-saludo ako sa inyong lahat.
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10 July 2008, 10:57 amdelish:
ay ako… i also put SAHM as occupation
and like what I said in some other whatever I forgot, the emphasis kasi is on the decision to stay at home for the child/children… not to have kids, not to manage the chores, not to be a domesticated wife… but to commit oneself to a 24/7 involvement to everything your child does and is…
SAHM… let’s celebrate us!
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10 July 2008, 3:10 pmcielo:
SAHM is the greatest career episode that a woman can ever have….
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11 July 2008, 12:18 amjulie:
Being a SAHM is nothing to be ashamed of.
Why, this has got to be the “job” that pays the most or the least, depending on one’s perspective, since one is on call 24/7, juggles different roles (COO, teacher, guidance counselor, play therapist, psychologist, manager, cook, nanny, driver, and everything in between). The pay? Hugs and kisses, smiles and laughters, and the occasional headaches and stress that goes with the territory.
This comes from a part-time working, part-time SAHM, full time homeschooling teacher and house manager.
julies last blog post..Luntian
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19 July 2008, 8:33 pm