It’s good to be home.

Whenever a new mom posts a picture of her teeny-tiny baby on Facebook and laments her impending return to work, it makes me sad.  Really, really sad.  I wish more mothers decided to stay home with their little ones.  My point is not to slam working mothers.  I know there are a variety of reasons why women put six week olds in daycare.  My point is also not to say that staying home is a piece of cake.  It’s a huge sacrifice, and it’s hard.  However, it is far more doable than people realize (or want to acknowledge), and I have never heard a mother express regret for choosing to be home. 

I know that one day I will very likely be a working mother.  There are days when I wish I already was!  On those long, tough days I remind myself of the many reasons why I am here and why it’s worth persevering.

I love that my children feel safe.

My children know that I will be their caregiver today and tomorrow and the day after that.  Substitutes are exceedingly rare.  When they wake up in the morning and descend the stairs (or are lifted out of their crib), they know whose face they will see. 

I love that my children are known.

I know everything about their day – how much they slept, what they ate, who they played with, how they feel, what their “favorites” are, etc., etc.  This is not obsessive helicopter-parenting.  This is intimate love, a foundation for the relationship we will share for a lifetime.

I love that my children aren’t an inconvenience.

If they wake up sick, I am thankful my children don’t witness the stress of mom and dad debating who “has” to stay home.  This doesn’t mean I never have to cancel plans or I am not disappointed, but, even if I am, they don’t know it.  All they know is that their mama is home, and they will be taken care of.

I love that my children get one-on-one attention when they need it most.

One area in which I am still growing is the ability to drop everything when “that moment” presents itself.  It is unpredictable.  You never know when they will be most eager for snuggles on the couch or one more reading of that favorite book.  It cannot be scheduled, and it is not spoiling when a genuine need is recognized and met.

I love that my children are disciplined consistently.

Being with them all day allows me to see their strengths and weaknesses on full display.  When I see habits or responses that I know are detrimental to them or others, I am able to call them to account every time.  Bad behavior cannot be ignored or hidden.  I did not realize how precious this consistency was until Ryan started going to school full-time. 

I love that my children see me caring for our home.

I think it’s important that my children know that it takes work to keep up a home.  Toilets don’t clean themselves.  Meals don’t miraculously appear on the table.  Laundry doesn’t crawl back into the drawers.  Thought and care go into keeping this family up and running.  There are times when they have to wait patiently (ahem) for me to finish a task. 

I love that my children eat lots of good food.

One of the huge benefits of being home is the opportunity I have to cook from scratch.  I love baking our bread and learning how to make yummy, healthy snacks.  They get the chance to help me in the kitchen along with the benefit of eating whatever we put together.

I love that my children’s first friends live in the same house.

It’s not news that I value sibling relationships!  They have so much fun playing together. Because the time seems endless and they are not competing for my attention, they can truly enjoy one another.    

I love that my children have “pajama mornings” (or days!).

Enough said.

 I love that my children have a home, not just a house.

Our house is rarely empty.  The baseboards are nicked and scarred from repeated collisions with a speeding PlasmaCar.  Hand-drawn pictures and signs are randomly stuck to the walls with painters’ tape.  Toys abound.  There can be no doubt that a family lives here.  

For as long as I have the privilege of being home, I will cherish these “loves” and anticipate that this list will grow right along with my children.    

(Note: This post has been tucked away in my Drafts folder since October, awaiting some finishing touches.  To be clear, “being home” does not refer to the past eight and a half weeks!  Mother’s Day seemed like the perfect time to acknowledge the blessings of a stay-at-home mom on a family’s life.)