hey, stay-at-home-mom

Hey, stay-at-home mom.

What you do is work. It is the hardest work you've probably ever done.

What you do is tireless. It's exhausting. It's juggling a million hats all at once and hoping you don't drop two or three. And when you do, it's picking them back up and starting all over again.

What you do can be thankless. It can be unappreciated. You may bend over backwards, even literally, and receive nothing but a temper tantrum and an outpouring of tears (maybe your own) in return.

Your days are filled with cooking, cleaning, cleaning what you just cleaned again, picking up toys, washing things off of your hands that had no business being on your hands to begin with. It's not even noticing the puddle of spit-up on your shirt, the airborne baby food in your hair. It's searching for the missing tap shoe while trying to steer your bare feet clear of the Legos hidden in places you would never, ever expect to find a damn Lego. It's answering your child's endless who-what-when-where-why questions while balancing the phone to your ear to make a doctor's appointment or pay a bill, your free hand stirring a soon-to-be burnt pot of sauce on the stove.

It's endless cups of coffee to fuel you through the fits, rare moments of quiet during nap time...that are usually spent folding laundry or loading the dishwasher.

It's not recognizing the reflection in the mirror, instead meeting a girl with a lopsided bun and overgrown highlights, stained yoga pants instead of a skirt, fuzzy socks instead of heels.

It's holding your baby's bottle on the couch instead of a cocktail on the beach. It's trying to remember what it was like to interact with humans your own age, aside from a fleeting conversation about organic diapers with a fellow, equally-distracted mom at the park. It's singing along to Baby Shark instead of the radio, watching Paw Patrol instead of The Bachelorette.

It's cancelling plans because you can't find a sitter, that overwhelming feeling of Instagram-envy as you mindlessly scroll and compare.

But, mama...oh, mama. It is so much more.

It's baby cuddles and gummy kisses. It's "i love yous" and "look at me, mommys"!" It's new discoveries and wide eyes full of wonder. It's witnessing new milestones, teaching new skills. It's the safety your child can only feel in your capable arms.

It's movie dates and pillow forts. It's neck hugs and gap-toothed smiles. It's first words and shaky steps. It's endless giggles and high-pitched squeals. It's tickle fights and sidewalk chalk. It's bubble baths and tiny toes. It's a warmth in your heart that you can feel in your bones.

It is an unbreakable, unshakable bond. Don't take this beautiful (and messy...and loud...and tiring) season of your life for granted, girl.

It's anything but easy but deep down, you know you wouldn't trade it for the world. This is a job that only you are cut out to do. It's a task no one else can handle like you can. And honestly, you are KILLING IT.

You grew this little being inside your own body, you were truly knitted mind, body and soul. And so it will remain as you continue on this journey together, his tiny hand nestled in yours, her very heart carried within the confines of your own. One day, they'll grow up. They'll be bigger than you, maybe stronger. They'll have lives of their own, jobs to work, people to meet and travels to take. They'll move out but they'll never truly move on. Because mama, you showed them strength. Mama, you showed them stability.

Mama, you showed them love.

You are seen and and you are valued. Good job, stay-at-home mom. You may stay at home now but you will always stay in their hearts.

-Kaley