Tribal Council

I went to a ladies' get-together last weekend, where I got to catch up with old friends and meet some new ones.

As many of us started to talk, we found out that we are all Moms to young children. And we entered into the shouldn't-go-there question/discussion of do you stay-at-home or do you work-outside-the-home (SAH vs. WOTH). There's always a line in the sand between the SAHMs and the WOTHMs, isn't there? It's the closest thing to real-life Survivor that we're going to get without Mark Burnett. We judge each other on "why are you wasting such talent by staying at home?" versus "why are you wasting these precious years by not staying at home?"

The truth of it is that we're all thrown out here in the wild, not prepared, trying to survive, and waiting to see who's going to have the final lit torch. (Too bad the million dollars doesn't apply)

So, as a WOTHM, here's my take on it all:

I don't get enough time with my child. You probably get too much.
You get to go to the mall during the day. I get to go to the bathroom by myself.
You get naptime. I get lunch time.
I get yelled at by my boss. You get yelled at by your boss (and then have to remind your child that she is not the boss!)
You spend your day with a preschooler. I spend my day with people who act like preschoolers.
I get a boardroom. You get a playroom.
My child sees a working Mom. So does your's.
You want your child to grow up with values. I do too.
You kiss your baby's forehead goodnight. I wouldn't go to bed without that moment.
Neither of us have enough time in the day.
Both of us go to bed with a to-do list etched in our brain.
Both of us worry about our weight. And what our children will be when they grow up. And how we'll handle them when they're teenagers. And what we'll make for lunch on Sunday. And do we have garbage bags, or do we need to add them to the grocery list.

Because whether we preface it with SAH or WOTH, we are both Ms, and we both want what's best for us, our family, and our children.

swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.
(that's the sound of the line being erased)