What I learned as a Dad being a stay at home mom for 3-Days

I recently had the opportunity to experience what my wife goes through on a daily basis being a stay at home mom.

 

Over a 3-day period I have had to entertain my kids, prepare them lunch, break up fights, not be able to give them what they want, clean and organize the house and take care of various other responsibilities. It is so frustrating to have to load and unload your kids from a minivan, especially if you only have to run into a store for a couple of minutes.

 

It's increasingly taxing to have endless amounts of patience with your kids when they are tired, hungry and cranky and all you want to do is throw some junk food at them so they'll be quiet…for a few minutes.  I now understand why my wife will stay up late at night after a long day with our kids….it's peaceful, no one is demanding her attention.

 

I've always known that my wife has worked hard to maintain our kids schedule and I've even tried to empathize with other moms that I have some idea what their day can look like.  It's one thing to take care of your kids for an hour or two as a dad and a completely different thing to care for their needs, household projects, chores, meals, etc over a 3 day period.

 

The best way I can sum up what my wife does daily is "sacrifice" and this is what I've learned about being a mom:

 

1. I don't KNOW what it is to be a mom, even if I say I know what moms' do.
2. Moms are expected to have all the answers to life's problems even when they say the don't have the answer to all of life's problems.
3. 10mins of peace and quiet is almost better than any birthday present.
4. The more kids you have, the more of an inconvenience you are to other people.
5. You don't have time for excuses or to apologize.
6. Sometimes the only meal you can get throughout the day is left over cheese puffs and PB&J from your kids lunch.
7. Kids quiet time isn't just for them
8. Friends are few and far between, but the encouraging ones are worth having around.

 

Moms are amazing and nothing short of a blessing. Take a second and tell your wife how awesome a mom she is or tell your own mother how much you love her.