• Welcome to The SAHM Survival Guide!
  • **Subscribe**
  • Disclosure | Privacy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Sponsorship
  • Home

Tips, activities and encouragement for staying at home and joyfully surviving it.

  • Quick Start Guide to Achieving Balance
  • Shop
    • Activity Resources
    • Organization
    • Self Help
  • Home
  • Real Motherhood
    • Parenting
    • Encouragement
    • Me time
    • Faith
  • Kids Activities
    • Infants
      • How to Teach an Infant Activity: Free Download
      • Infant Activities
    • Toddlers
      • How to Teach a Toddler Activity: Free Download
      • Toddler Activities
    • Preschool
      • How to Teach a Preschool Activity: Free Download
      • Preschool at Home Curriculum
    • School Age
      • School Age Activities
    • Homeschooling
      • Complete Guide for Stay-at-Home Moms: Homeschooling Resources
      • Chemistry Unit Study
      • Geology Unit Study
  • Homemaking
    • Successful Mom Daily Checklist
    • Cleaning Tips
    • DIYs
    • No-Stress Guide to Planning for the Holidays
    • Organization
    • Quick Tips
    • Recipes
  • Subscriber Freebies
Home » motivation » Mom, When Are You Going to Get a Job?

Mom, When Are You Going to Get a Job?


My son asked me, "Mom, when are you going to get a job?" It took me by surprise, but many people thought it and now I had actually been asked.

When I heard it, it made me laugh.

My son asked me, “Mom, when are you going to get a job?”

I figured one day I would have to have this conversation with my children. I had been thinking about what my answer would be when they asked me why I “don’t work”.

The prospect of being asked this question never scared me, in fact, I looked forward to sharing my answer. I just didn’t think one would ask at such a young age.

My son’s question was sparked from his experiences in the first couple days of Kindergarten.

When I dropped him off on his first day my daughter started crying about wanting to go to her own class. I told her we would have her school at our house. I would be her teacher. My son said, “You’re not a teacher.”

I replied, “I am a teacher to you and your sister, and I was a teacher like your teacher before you were born.”

The conversation went deeper.

My son’s school has an after school care program. He views it as longer playtime with his schoolmates that he is missing. He asked me, “When will I get to go to the after school care?”

I told him, “I don’t know if you will have to. I am home and able to pick you up after school.
The moms of the kids who go to the program work and are not able to pick them up to take them home until later.”

The conversation stopped here until another evening after dinner.

(Strange how kids have amazing memories at times, but then other times you have to constantly remind them…)

We were relaxing after dinner together as a family. On a television show my son saw women working in a paid job. He turned to me and asked, “Momma, when are you going to get a job?”

I replied, “My work right now is here in our house taking care of cleaning and cooking and
washing clothes, and caring for you and your sister, and Daddy, and paying bills and making sure we don’t spend too much money.”

You’ll love his response. 

He said, “Oh, that is a lot!”

I am sure that will not end any future questions about my choice of work, but it was an honest answer. And, of course, his response is very true! It is a lot.

For this season of my life, it is enough…and, it is WORK.

Find resources for implementing routines and schedules in your home. Printables and suggested schedules make it so easy!

We moms have a lot of options when it comes to our choices of work. Staying at home, working outside the home and working at home building a home based business are all options. I chose strictly to focus on staying at home and a home based business fell into my lap later on.

Building a home based business is great when you want to stay-at-home with the kids as long as possible.

Have your children asked you about your “choice of work”? What was or will be your response?

My son asked me, "Mom, when are you going to get a job?" It took me by surprise, but many people thought it and now I had actually been asked.

This post is featured in A Complete Guide for Stay-at-Home Moms: When You Need Encouragement

For More Mom Motivation:
Why is the Grass Greener?
Motherhood is Self-Fulfillment and a Calling
Building A Family Is Work

Intentional mom tips, tools and encouragement for stay-at-home moms.

Enjoy your time at home!

Your Name

November 4, 2018 by Jaimi Erickson 18 Comments Filed Under: motivation Tagged With: jobs, stay at home mom, work at home

Comments

  1. Olivia Clark says

    October 12, 2021 at 8:35 am

    Such a nice piece of content. Thank you for sharing it!

    Reply
  2. Brandy Wilcoxen says

    November 5, 2018 at 7:31 am

    I asked my daughter what she wants to be when she grows up, which practically changes daily, and this time around she said she wanted to be a mommy but that she didn’t have a baby the way I did, but that she was going to get her’s from a nursery lol.

    Reply
    • Jaimi Erickson says

      November 24, 2018 at 4:47 pm

      So sweet! I love those conversations with kids.

      Reply
  3. joanne says

    April 1, 2015 at 9:09 am

    I recently went for a job interview. I told the children I was going. I didn't get the job and the children were thrilled 'because you can spend more time with us Mummy. My son especially does not want me to get a job.

    Reply
  4. Katherine {Proverbs and Pacifiers} says

    March 3, 2014 at 3:11 am

    That is a lot! I recently filled out a survey and they wanted to know how many hours a week I worked. I was so tempted to put 119. You know, all the time save that 6-7 hours or sleep I get a night. It's a wonderful life!

    Thanks for linking up at Babies and Beyond last week!

    Reply
    • Jaimi says

      March 4, 2014 at 3:27 am

      Thanks, Katherine! The link-up is a great resource. Fun for me to look through and read and pin bunches! Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply
  5. Dolly says

    February 24, 2014 at 9:53 pm

    Such innocence and such intelligence your little boy has! I have to say, this post really put a smile on my face! 😀

    Reply
  6. Alice says

    January 23, 2014 at 6:12 pm

    Such a wonderful discussion between you and your kids! Yeah, this is really interesting when kids ask this sort of questions and for that parents always need to be alert to give answer in according to their questions. So whatever it is I think your kids are growing well and another thing is that your son's school has after school program that's really helpful for kids development. Thanks for sharing with us your personal information:)

    Reply
  7. knowledgemaven says

    January 20, 2014 at 5:00 pm

    Too-too funny! My 8-year old likes to ask me, "…are you STILL working?" Working, mind you, doesn't necessarily mean me performing duties for my 9 to 5, it could be any domestic duty. I know he wants to know so that he can determine how much time we have to play. Now when I'm doing dishes, without even being told, he grabs the broom and starts sweeping. I haven't determined yet if it's because he truly wants to be mom's big helper or he needs me to hurry because we have a Lego empire to build. Hmmm.

    Reply
    • Jaimi says

      March 4, 2014 at 3:26 am

      Either way, sounds like he knows the work must get done and he can help make it move a little quicker! That is so great that he jumps right in to help. Enjoy those Lego building times!

      Reply
  8. Stephanie says

    January 20, 2014 at 3:17 pm

    One of my boys has asked me what I want to be when I grow up. I told him I was exactly what I wanted to be "a mom." Concept was lost on him though, "No, like I want to be a firefighter, what do you want to be?"

    Reply
    • Jaimi says

      January 20, 2014 at 4:45 pm

      That is funny, Stephanie! How kids interpret life and the world around them is pretty entertaining. One day they will understand what our job is. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Moms Teach Giving More Than Receiving » The Stay-at-Home-Mom Survival Guide says:
    September 1, 2022 at 3:52 pm

    […] We give them so much of our time. They learn that giving – raising a family – is a goal to achieve. It is important and worth their time. […]

    Reply
  2. Building a Family is Work - The Stay-at-Home-Mom Survival Guide says:
    May 22, 2017 at 9:26 pm

    […] to provide security and peace in your home and for your children. Remember that the main job we moms do is building a […]

    Reply
  3. Money Lessons Through Chores - The Stay-at-Home-Mom Survival Guide says:
    March 13, 2017 at 3:12 pm

    […] Mommy works to clean the house and clothes and take care of the kids so that we can teach them our values and make sure they are safe. […]

    Reply
  4. Get Kids to do Chores - The Stay-at-Home-Mom Survival Guide says:
    September 7, 2016 at 2:21 am

    […] is so much work we moms do in a day! Many of these jobs can be done by our children so they learn how, so we have help, so we […]

    Reply
  5. Life without Raises and Praises - The Stay-at-Home-Mom Survival Guide says:
    July 24, 2016 at 12:41 pm

    […] I have yet to be promoted. And raises don’t exist when you’re not getting paid. […]

    Reply
  6. Work at Home Job Resources - The Stay-at-Home-Mom Survival Guide says:
    September 15, 2015 at 5:29 pm

    […] Mom, When Are You Going to Get a Job? Building A Family Is Work *Title image edited and used by permission from FreeDigitalPhotos.net. Original image by marcolm […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Free gifts for email subscribers to The Stay-at-Home Mom Survival Guide.


Over 80 simple learning activities for preschool age kids to explore and play while learning.
Try these for playtime with your baby! These infant activities are perfect for quick moments of interaction that are developmentally appropriate for infants.


Recent Posts

  • Being Addicted to Busy is A Learned Behavior
  • Tips for Getting Through Home Improvements
  • How Do We Teach Children That They Are Loved?
  • Mom’s Guide to A Successful Summer with Kids
  • The Real Impact of a Mother at Home

Popular Topics

You may find Amazon affiliate links on this page. I can earn a percentage when you make a purchase through these links. This does not imply endorsement from Amazon or its affiliates.

Copyright © 2023 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

©The Stay-at-Home-Mom Survival Guide – Jaimi Erickson

HOME | ABOUT | DISCLOSURE/PRIVACY | SPONSORSHIP