Whether balancing motherhood with a career, or embracing stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) status, it’s all challenging and, at the end of the day, usually satisfying. Yet, most moms rarely have time to ask for, let alone acknowledge, recognition.
Photo Credit: Pxhere
A dad who works outside of the home posted about the sacrifices his wife was making as she lived out her vocation as a mother that stayed home. The post went viral for his recognition of his hard-working wife. But some questioned the value of what she was doing.
The post came from Zach Williams’ Facebook account His View From Home. The image was of a shower door followed by a post of how his wife managed her job as a SAHM.
This morning I came home from the gym and turned the shower on to get cleaned up for work. I turned to the door and saw where my wife wiped away the steam from the glass, so she could see our baby girl in the bassinet.
This morning I came home from the gym and turned the shower on to get cleaned up for work. I turned to the door and saw where my wife wiped away the steam from the glass, so she could see our baby girl in the bassinet.
I literally just sat there and stared at the glass and smiled. I could see it, I imagined it, it was like I was there in the room with them. I could see Heather just looking through the glass and making faces at Lottie as she smiled and played in her bassinet! I just melted!
It’s so crazy to me, how the smallest things can make me so appreciative of my wife. It’s the little sacrifices my wife makes for this family, that would normally go unnoticed.
From caring for our daughter 24/7, to caring for me, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the animals, and taking care of herself (yeah right, there’s no time for that.)
Williams mentioned that he worked long shifts and he was frequently stressed even when he got home. He’d often thought that all his wife did was stay at home with a baby. But, the shower door gave him a new perspective.
The fact that my wife can’t even shower without caring for someone else; tending to someone else’s needs. She doesn’t get a second to herself to relax.
My wife doesn’t get to clock out, my wife doesn’t get the satisfaction of seeing a check deposited in the bank in return for her hard work, my wife doesn’t get to eat lunch with coworkers, my wife doesn’t get to just walk outside and just take a deep breath.
This may be just a fogged-up piece of glass to some, but to me it means so much more. It’s the little things like this that don’t go unnoticed.
The accolade received 26,000 likes and thousands of comments, most appreciating the recognition he gave his wife.
Photo Credit: Unsplash,Jimmy Dean
Others were more cynical:
I have 4 children and I have walked in the shoes of the stay at home mom and the full time working mom.
Both are hard and difficult in different ways. However, too many people forget about the latter… the mom who works full time outside of the home and comes home to help the kids with school work, school activities, clean the house, laundry, cooking, shopping, doctor appointments, etc. I could go on.
So while we are acknowledging moms here let’s not forget about the full time working mom, she doesn’t have it easy either.
While it’s true motherhood requires sacrifices of both career women and SAHMs, the point of the post was to show his appreciation for the personal circumstances of Williams, his wife, and their baby.
But, moms shouldn’t have to shoulder it all alone. It’s the family who should support and appreciate each other.
Family means a give-and-take dynamic, constantly swelling and ebbing because life is better when everyone is in it together.
