Monologue for the Stay at Home Mom

My thought for the day was "lit up" by a miniscule phrase I read in an article, but really it's been something I've known, and has been brewing in my mind for quite sometime. Since becoming a stay at home mom, I've become aware of the different stances on the subject. There are those who think being a stay at home mom is the best thing ever and those who think that it's not really a profession to be taken seriously. Along with the latter stance tends to come with the idea that women who stay at home with their children (nurturers) aren't at all powerful or successful... like women in the workplace. I, of course and obviously, disagree with this stance and every once in while feel like voicing my opinion on the subject when faced by silly and stupid comments made by people who happen to agree with that stance. It is part of my wish that these particular people learn and understand just how important, successful, powerful, intelligent, resourceful, and sacrificing we stay at home moms are. Being a nurturer is one of the hardest, but rewarding jobs a woman will ever do. It is a 168 hour work week with no monetary pay, no back scratching, no raises, no giving back, not always a lot of progress, and not a lot of thanks. It is a job that you can never quit or leave. It is a job that will effect your life and the lives of others any which way, depending on how you perform. Being a mother is shaping the lives, minds, and health of future adults. Future people that may even grow up to think that being a mom is not an important or necessary job. Think about where you would be, if your mom chose not to raise you. Think about the famous mothers that have given birth to and raised history shapers like Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Bono, just to name a few.
Being a mother, a stay at home one at that, has made me particularly passionate about the subject (kind of goes with the territory.) What angers me so much about it that these societal views have effected me down to my subconscious. Even though I thought I knew the importance of being a mother, specifically one who chooses to stay home and raise her children, I still had a lot of struggles with feminist ideas that had been thrown at me all my life. Unfortunately, that threw me into a depression- and it took me two years after the birth of my first son to realize that I was important. My job really means something. I really am making a difference in the world, by making a difference in the lives of my children. So having fought so hard to gain this newfound confidence about my place in life, I get a little defensive when somebody, anybody, can't understand why I could "possibly forfeit my life and career to stay at home with the kids." This is my life. They are my career. And by golly, I'm gonna rock at it!