Whatever your choice, you're a hard-working mom!

Grab a cup!(Pic: Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

The hardest choice I ever made was deciding to become a stay-at-home mother. Going by my past life as an ambitious career girl, I never envisioned staying at home, because domesticity isn't a trait I think I have! I made the decision when I was expecting, but even then I had thought that I would only stay home for a year or so before getting back to work. But the decision only seemed hard before Little Dude was born. Once he came into my life, I have never looked back in regret. Yes, I had a wonderful professional life and I achieved more than I expected to, but never had I experienced the level of satisfaction I got from bringing up my child.

This is my choice and I am happy with it, but I've never felt a twinge of resentment towards working mothers. If anything, I admire them for taking up the challenge to maintain both their careers and their homes. Which is why, I don't understand why many online and print publications for parents seem to encourage a war between the two factions. I'm not linking to any articles because I'm sure you've seen enough of those - some tell you that you cannot 'have it all', while others tell you to 'go for everything'. As always, there are some extreme reactions from readers. I don't know how we got here. Do we debate endlessly about what we choose to study in college or where we choose to live? So why argue about what we decide to do after having children?

Most importantly, we have to stop thinking of ourselves as different camps. Whether we are working out of home or staying in, we are still mothers. We are on the same side, and we have the same goal - to give the best upbringing to our children. As long as our children are receiving the care and nurture they need, there is no saying what is right or wrong. We need to end that debate right now!

I know that working moms spend every minute of their free time worrying about what their kids are eating or doing. I know that they go an extra mile to ensure that the kids are happy. Some choose to work out of necessity and some because being at home all the time just doesn't work for them. It doesn't mean that they are any lesser than other mothers. They know how hard they are working and having to hear that they are not doing the 'right thing' must be very distressing.

I know that stay-at-home moms spend every waking minute making the lives of their families comfortable, sometimes to the extent that they forget about themselves. They dedicate themselves to what they do, but they are often made to feel that they are lesser than other women because they are not 'doing enough' with their lives. Nothing can be far from the truth, and it hurts to hear such comments.

Moms who work from home or part-home can have the best of both worlds, but again, it doesn't make things easier. Bottom line is - being a mother is hard work, whatever your choice.

I want to promise myself that I'll never judge a mom based on whether she chooses to work out of home or not. I invite every mom to grab that 'best mom' mug and celebrate herself with a cup of coffee, tea or wine!

Care to join me in this pledge?

This post has been linked to Finish The Sentence Friday and Post Comment Love.