What do you DO ALL DAY???

Recently the youngest of my children has been comparing his “chore list” to the amount of things he thinks I do every day.  “Why do I have to do that?”  “Why do you get all that (computer/TV/free) time and I only get a little?”   {By the way, this is the REAL point of everything he complains about – I have all this time to do “whatever I want” while he constantly is required to slave away with no time to himself at all…}

My standard response is to defend myself.  And, as I suspect many of my mom friends do, I feel guilty about how “little” I actually do to “earn my free time”.  You know what I mean.  Your kids see you constantly in front of the computer or sitting on the couch reading or watching TV.  It’s like you do nothing else all day; and when we review the day in our heads, all we blame ourselves for is how “little we got done that day”.

So, I want you all to spend a bit of time with me and think about how much we actually do for our families that are really over-looked and give ourselves credit for how much we actually do for other people. 

Is there milk in the fridge?  Orange juice, yogurt, eggs, cheese sticks and all the other snacks that seem to disappear at warp speed? 

Who makes the shopping list every week and remembers to replace the chocolate sauce that you know you’re out of, but didn’t use the last of without putting on the list?

Is it you that remembers to take the clothing to the dry cleaners and pick it up?

Balancing the check book, paying the bills, budgeting, depositing or withdrawing money.    All those things magically happen on their own, right?

The laundry is apparently capable of washing, drying and folding itself if I were to believe my children.  Think about this – with a mind of its own, the dirty clothes (who can tell if they’re dirty or clean) fly themselves to the laundry room, sorted by color and fabric (of course).  They are then capable of opening the washing machine lid, stuffing themselves inside while pouring the appropriate amounts of detergent, stain remover and fabric softener in the dispensers.  After starting the cycle by twisting the knobs or pushing the correct buttons for fabric and length, they swim around in their warm, soapy bath and then are spun damp.  At this point they magically move themselves to the dryer and clean out the lint trap (don’t forget to throw the lint away!).  At the end of their busy journey, they fold themselves and return to their drawers, neatly stacked.  Yeah, right.

Meal planning, grocery shopping, putting it all away; not to mention loading the kids in and out of the car and keeping them occupied while you do it all.  Don’t forget the constant chorus of “mom, I forgot I NEED…” at least once a week which requires a separate trip – usually after you just got home – to some store that closed an hour ago (and is the only store that has it in stock, but your child has known about the need for over a week).

What about updating the calendar with doctor and dentist appointments, keeping track of immunizations, allergies and medications and pulling the kids out of school while juggling your work schedule, the sports schedule and how much gas you have in your tank at the same time.   And I’m sure you’re one of those people who have juice boxes and snacks in the car (or drive through the fast food place) because, unfortunately they HAVE to eat.  Again.

And don’t forget the gifts, cards and parties that never seem to end.  Or the cupcakes/brownies/snacks for the baseball team or ballet class while remembering who has a peanut allergy or doesn’t like chocolate.

Reading lists?  Homework?  Checking the grades online?  Emailing the teachers or responding to what-seems-like a thousand emails a day?  Returning phone calls and checking the answering machine/voicemail? 

How about fundraisers, booster clubs, concert or performance events?  Keeping the uniforms washed (or at least remembering where they dropped on the floor) while helping your shy child sell more cookies or popcorn by using email or some social network to post their current fund-raising need.  And then following up by helping said child deliver the product and collecting the money.

Sorting through the piles of junk that come into our lives every day:  field trip forms, reading lists, homework sheets, junk mail, flyers, coupons, newspapers, event reminders, bills, newsletters, leftover pieces of paper that would give hoarders a run for their money if they weren’t taken care of at semi-regular intervals.

And what about that constantly updating “to-do” list in your head?  Wash the windows, repair the hole, dust the furniture, call a friend, buy more socks, charge the batteries, call the tree guy… 

Add all these things to your work, schooling, eating, sleeping and relationship time and you’ve done nothing all day long; or so it seems. 

The next time you feel like you haven’t done ANYTHING all day long – or someone accuses you of the same; remember all the “little” things you do every day, every week that make others’ lives easier and more manageable.

And give yourself a break while you read your book, take a bath, play on Facebook or chat with a friend.  You deserve it.