The Other Side of the Door

So, let me first say I am probably going to offend a lot of people by writing this blog. However, it is not my intention at all. These are just my thoughts this morning, so please do not take offense. Everyone is their own person and does what they need to do for their family. :)

That being said, it is days like today I'd like to be on the other side of my garage door in the morning. I'd frankly today like to have Jeff's day. I am very blessed to stay at home. I wouldn't change it, and I know many women who would love to stay at home, but due to circumstances cannot. However, today I want to be the one to go to work.

I am sure these ideas are all fantasy and that Jeff would disagree and that any mom who works outside the home would disagree. Yet, there must be something freeing about leaving the home and not returning until evening. I will explain. . .

The past 2 days Jeff has left either with children screaming at each other, crying hysterically, in room time, or whining about what I have told them they are not able to do. For example, Sean cannot have girl scout cookies as part of breakfast. I look with a jealous eye as my husband kisses us all goodbye, screaming, tears and all and shuts the door and leaves off to work. Now I know that his job is stressful. However, he still gets to choose when he uses the bathroom & sometimes when he will eat lunch. No one is pulling at his leg if he is on the phone or talking to a colleague about their recent golf outing or what the agenda will be for that meeting. He can even sneak away for a short bit to grab a Starbucks coffee (on his work campus) if he so desires with a couple of colleagues. Today. . . I want to be on the other side of the door. I know he has meetings all day and that things are very stressful in the work place. But I also know he does have times for the occasional chat or joke or yes, STARBUCKS!!

When he leaves he doesn't have to look at pile after pile of laundry all day, he doesn't wash the floors only to have your kids spill the first thing they have all over the nice clean floors. He doesn't have to try and do his job (laundry, cleaning, vacuuming, toilets, bathroom, dishes) all while making sure his colleagues aren't jumping off furniture or putting things down the toilet. He doesn't have to worry about whether or not his employees went to the bathroom before a long meeting or whether they need help wiping their bottoms or changing their diapers. When he gets home he doesn't' have to (most of the time) worry about what is for dinner or if we have something he'd like in the fridge or if he will have clean boxers for the next day. When the door closes he doesn't have to do many sets of dishes a day while making lunch only to have it thrown on the floor by a screaming 2 year old, who then has room time because we don't throw food on the floor for the one millionth time!!

Obviously you can sense my dislike for the stay at home mommy tasks today. And my desire for just one day to be on the other side of the door. But as I write this, it occurred to me that if I was on the other side of the door, I would miss the requests to just "snuggle", which makes it all worth while. :)