occupation: SAHM

 This page was first published here.

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 I always ask, Will it mean it keep me out of my domain every day? Will it mean I cannot have time for homekeeping and my family permanently? These are just a few of the questions I ask myself before I take on a job outside of home because I am already happy and content where I am.

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.