I thought this rant should be on a very different topic. I beg your indulgence while I rant about something CLOSE to my heart. It is the MOST undervalued JOB in the world today.....The HOMEMAKER.
We work so hard, we have no vacations, no pay, nothing to show that we have done anything of any true value in the world we live in today. The world where the dollar rules supreme and if you don't earn money you are seen as lazy.
We talk about the need for child care but never do we ever offer money to that person who stays at home, forgoes his or her career and gives their children the benefit of their presence.
A homemaker. YOU know who they are.....they are the:
Nurses who take care of scrapes, cuts, sprains, strains, bruises and bumps.
Teachers who teach us about life, love, why the sky is blue, what the alphabet is, why it is important NOT to hit your friends. Counsellors who soothe broken hearts, help us see that the monster under the bed isn't real, mend quarrels between siblings and who teach us to stand up for ourselves and be strong. Cheerleaders as we take part in sports, academic contests and life itself. Chauffeurs who drive us from place to place making sure we get to all our lessons or activities on time. Chef who prepares our meals makes them taste good (and maybe sometimes not so good when they are experimenting or if it is a vegetable or meat we HATE). Activity directors who get us involved with things so that we can stay busy and live life to its fullest. Companions who will be with us when we are bored or lonely. Bankers who budget finances and make sure that each person has their allowances. Gardeners who create life each spring in the planting of seeds. Religious leaders who give us a sense of spirituality of something larger than ourselves.
Perhaps they are also artisans and craftsmen who create beautiful things.
A homemaker is all things, all careers in one, but they are first and foremost, the Caretakers of our next generation. They are the best source of daycare we could ever have. If that is so and we know it is.....then why are they continuously undervalued, unappreciated and looked down upon.
As a homemaker I sometimes have career moms and teachers who look and talk to me as though I was an unschooled illiterate because I CHOSE to remain at home and take care of MY children. It makes my blood seethe and boil to think that because I choose a path that doesn't lead to having a house, car and big screen tv, that I am somehow LESS a person than someone who chose another path.
MY job is THE most important job a person can have.....nurturing and teaching another life to appreciate the wonders of our world and the sorrows that exist in it too.
So all I have to say is.....Thank you all you HOMEMAKERS and you know who you are!!! Never forget though that you are a person too and should take time out once in a while to remember that you are important too and should treat yourself from time to time.
