Appreciation....
Okay, after my diatribe about the joys of being a housewife, I have to address some of the downsides.
I think the biggest gripe for those of us that actually consider being a houswife a real job is the lack of compensation and appreciation. When you work outside the home, there's a paycheck involved that says...yes, you have worth...here's the proof.
This is what it's like when you're a housewife....
What you cook today, no matter how much thought you've put into it to make it tasty AND healthy will be forgotten tomorrow.
A vast majority of what you do today will be undone tomorrow.
The laundry you do today will be dirty tomorrow.
And I can guarantee that you will NEVER hear the following...
"Wow, I see you cobwebbed, dusted and cleaned the baseboard heaters today! Way to go!"
"Looks like you scrubbed, washed, rinsed and put two coats of wax on the floors. Nice job!"
"I can't BELIEVE you completely organized the closets...it'll be so much easier to find stuff!"
Being that I am an older Mommy, I have been privileged to know that many of the things that get taken for granted aren't truly appreciated until the spawn are gone and on their own. I now know that my older children have noticed the following:
Take-out gets old....
It's not as easy to operate certain appliances (stoves, washers, dryers, etc.) as you might imagine.
If your sheets don't get changed weekly, they turn gray and start to develop ODOR.
If you don't sort your laundry, EVERYTHING will eventually turn gray...or pink.
No matter how good your aim is, your toilet, the area around it and your bathroom in general WILL get dirty if it's not cleaned regularly. And yes, again ODOR will be involved.
The laundry fairy doesn't exist.....your formally dirty laundry will not magically appear, washed, dried and folded or hung up in your bedroom.
Knowing these things will be noticed at some point in time does help, BUT, the most important thing is that you take satisfaction in what you do. Just knowing that you try to do a good job and take pride in your work goes a long way. But you have to be comfortable enough in your own skin to to not need the validation of others...Being old helps...
