Today is my Aunt J's birthday. Happy birthday J! I am a stay-at-home Mom, have always wanted to be and that is because of J. When I was real young, my Mom was able to be at home, but then Mom and Dad divorced and things changed. I'm not hear to complain about that, that is the way things were and we have all done fine. I don't like it when people use their parent's divorce as an excuse as to why they think their life is miserable. When the divorce is in the process, yes, it is tough. If you are complaining now because your parents got divorced ten, twenty or thirty years ago, get over it. The way your life is once your an adult is due to your own choices. Okay, now that I am over that little rant, I will continue on!
After Mom and Dad were divorced, Mom needed to go to work outside of the home. Quite often after school, I would go to my Aunt J and Uncle C's house. I would spend an hour or two there until Mom was done with her work day, then she would come and pick me up. I loved the fact that J was always there to talk to her own children and myself about the way our day went. The house was always neat and tidy and she was generally working on supper by the time we got off the bus. That was what I wanted to be when I grew up. I got most of it down. I have been blessed to be able to stay home since the day our first born was born, she will be sixteen next month. I am usually home when she and her brother get home from school or whatever activity they have going on. I am able to make most of our suppers homemade, not pre-packaged dinners or winging through the nearest fast food joint. I am not putting anyone down who chooses to work outside of the home or eat differently than we do, everyone has to do what is best for them and their family. However, I still have not mastered the part of keeping the house as clean as J does! I picked up other hobbies along the way that take up time and are more fun than cleaning!
Only God knows what the future will bring for my occupation. Will I always stay at home? Will I start working outside of the home next month? Will I wait until our children are graduated and then start working outside of the home? I think my dream job would be as a secretary in the school district. I could still be home with the kids when they are home. Well, kind of. Our Princess is very seldom home immediately after school because of extra curricular activities and she works during the summer. Trucker is home after school, but does not like to be in the house much. He is usually outside doing fourteen year old guy things! During the summer he also works, but I have to go with him because he does a lot of lawn mowing jobs and he does not have a license yet. To my way of thinking, a job in the school would be perfect so that I could still drive him around for a couple of years yet and have the same vacations as the kids. Sometimes my way of thinking and God's way differ, though! We will have to wait and see what He has in mind.
All of this to say happy birthday to J and a big thank you. A lot of what you were as a stay-at-home Mom while I was growing up made me what I am today!
Amazing huh,J? You just never know what seeds you are planting in the kids around you. Or how they will grow. This was a great harvest!! I guess that makes you a good farmer or farmers wife. May all your future crops turn out as well as this one did.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you have near enough candles on there for J's birthday.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the kind comments. I guess I stayed at home with the kids because my husband of 39 years had a job that gave us just enough financial support to be able to stay at home. And if I didn't, the babysitter would of made more per hour than I would of working back then. I canned, gardened, yard saled, and pinched pennies to get by, but I have thanked God more than once for the opportunity to spend that time at home with my four kids. I say four, because our niece always seemed to be one of the kids and she was always close with our family. I no longer stay at home, I work all the time and I wish I could spend more time with my grandkids, but I still look back and am glad for the time I stayed at home with my wonderful kids. Oh and by the way who ever said there weren't near enough candles on the cake doesn't know me very well because I think there were plenty. Thanks again for the kind words and the comments, it certainly made me feel that even tho I didn't work for a living as a younger women, I am a better older women for it, because our kids (you included) have all turned out just the way that makes parents very proud.
ReplyDeleteJ - Thanks for the kind comment! I knew you two had an anniversary a couple of weeks ago. I was thinking 39 years is a long time, until I realized that is how old I am! Now I don't think 39 years is very many! I also read your comment about C and A having ice cream at DQ. How sweet is that?!
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