What Else Do You Do?

I was out not too long ago at a bar way past my bedtime. My husband and I were paying an arm and a leg for a babysitter and pretending to relive our carefree days. I was chatting with a girl that I had never met before and she asked me what I do. I told her that I was a stay at home mom and then she said, "Oh, what else do you do?" I can't really blame her for the follow up question. She was young, newly married, and clearly has no idea what a time suck children are or what my life is like.

She doesn't realize that I'm up before the sun each day and still can't seem to get things off my "to do" list. She doesn't understand that I spend every second of my days taking care of small dictators. She doesn't know about the fights I break up, the toys I fix, and the boo boos that I kiss. She doesn't know that it doesn't matter how many times I sweep the floor that there will always be crumbs. She doesn't know the times that I internally count to myself so that I don't explode when one of the kids is having a tantrum. She doesn't know about the laundry - the endless laundry. She doesn't know how many times I yell "STOP YELLING!" each day. She doesn't know that not one minute of my day is just for me. She also doesn't know that my days are filled with doubt and love - oh, so much love.

So I simply smiled and said, "That's all I do." After all, I know that being a stay at home mom is more than enough and maybe someday she will, too.

She doesn't know that some days I'm the best pillow around.