I Am Home.

Maybe you are a stay-at-home home who doesn’t bring home a pay check… Maybe you have a spouse who doesn’t appreciate you… Maybe you work to support your family but feel guilt and wonder if financial is the type of support your family needs… I am or have been all of these and I have been hard on myself.
Recently I was told that what I do in my house has little to no value. Anyone could cook, clean, do laundry and drive the kids around, and they are right. Anyone can do the mindless, mundane tasks of taking care of a house, it does not require special skills. Some people have written about the monetary value of a house cleaner, cook and child care provider to try and find value in what moms (and some dads) do but that overlooks a something I find much more valuable that cannot be bought. 
For almost 2 years my kids and I didn’t live at our house. When we would go to what used to be our home it felt cold, dark, and uninviting. The kids didn’t want to be there. “But all of your stuff is here, why don’t you want to stay?” I would ask. They were too small to explain why but they didn’t feel happy there. They identified the house we were staying as home.
When we moved back to our old house I got to work cleaning, doing laundry and cooking. I planted flowers, put up curtains, and did all the little things you do in a home. The kids and I painted bookshelves for each one of them so they had a place to display their “special” things. We built forts, pretended the floor was lava, put their teepee outside so they could pretend to be explorers. We made cookies for no reason, camped out on the living room floor and watched movies way past bedtime. We decorated for every season and holiday, especially Christmas. It’s where they awaited Santa, the tooth fairy, Easter bunny and leprechauns. It’s where they all climbed in bed with me for morning snuggles. It’s where we cuddled on the couch when they were sick. It’s where they knew they were safe and would have home cooked meals. It’s home. And it’s home because of me. 
My value is greater than any financial value you can put on a list of chores. I am the keeper of traditions, the creator of memories, and the guardian of my child’s happiness and security. For the rest of their lives they will remember the fun, love, music, and smells of their childhood. They will talk about it and linger in those memories long after I am gone. It is an incredible responsibility and one that I take very seriously. I don’t care if you are a stay at home mom or a working mom, do not doubt your value because you are the world to your kids… literally. You are home and that’s huge.