Last night I was at a social event where I didn’t know anyone. On two occasions, while I was chatting it up with some nice folks, the question of occupation came up. “So what do you do?” they asked. To which I responded, “Nothing… well I stay home with our 1 year old daughter.”

so what do you do graphic

Later that evening one of them told me his work was hiring and asked if I was looking for a job or if I was staying home because I preferred to. He meant it in the nicest way possible and prefaced it by saying that he grew up with a stay at home mom and was grateful for it. But that conversation made me keenly aware that “Nothing…” had not really been an honest answer to his initial inquiry, and it further perpetuated the belief that being a Stay-at-Home Mom/Housewife/Home Manager is an easy job.

Why is it that my mouth is so quick to spout out such a nonchalant response? In years past, when someone asked me what I do for a living, I would proudly respond “I’m a civil engineer” or “I’m a Technical Writer”. I took pride in my occupation. As I begin to fill these large shoes of a Home Manager, I need a rewiring of my brain to know and believe that what I do really matters. What YOU do really matters too. Whether we are working outside the home or not, our role in our home is IMPORTANT. What we do in our homes gives our husbands the freedom to excel in their work, and gives our children unique opportunities and a firm foundation for success that only parents can provide.

So here’s how I should have responded: “I manage our home and raise our beautiful daughter.”

How do you respond when someone asks you what you do? Do you give a response that places value on your role? Or do you fumble through an “oh, nothing” kind of response. How would you ideally like to answer this question when it comes up?

Time to practice… “I manage our home and raise our beautiful daughter. I manage our home and raise our beautiful daughter. I manage our home and raise our beautiful daughter.”

Ok, now go ahead. Ask me what I do…