Almost five years ago, my husband and I started attending an Eastern Orthodox church, and much to our evangelical parents’ chagrin, we eventually converted to Orthodoxy. It has been an astounding, mystical, and life-changing journey. However, there is something in the Orthodox world that bothers me. A lot of Orthodox moms are stay-at-home moms (and many of them homeschool, too). Now don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly NOT knocking staying at home or homeschooling. But when I search for blogs of Orthodox moms, I find tons of great blogs by SAH moms, but not by working moms. I can find Orthodox books on parenting and home organization by SAH moms, but not by working moms. I know that Orthodox working moms exist, because there are a few at my church, but they don’t seem to have as much as a voice as SAH moms do. That’s what bothers me.
Now, we do need to consider the working mom’s life. The working mom is an expert at multitasking – surely she can fit in blogging or writing about her life each day, right? Maybe in between changing the baby’s diaper at 6:30, packing the diaper bag for daycare at 6:35, changing the baby’s diaper AGAIN at 6:40 (they always poop right after you change them), and realizing that it’s 6:45 and she needed to leave at 6:35 and that ten minutes will insure that traffic is ten times worse, and she’s gonna be late for work. Or maybe late at night, after the kids have gone to bed, after she has pumped a bottle for daycare tomorrow and right before folds the two loads of clean laundry that have been sitting in baskets for a week and are as wrinkly as a raisin underwater. You get my point. Yes, the working mom may have less time to do things like blog, but I’d say a SAH mom’s life is busy, too. I’m sure they have days that are jam packed with activities, and they get worn out just like working moms do.
I’m thinking about all this because I am looking for support and advice on managing wifehood, motherhood, work, prayer, housework, etc. I always have great intentions of activities and lessons and units I’m going to do with my kids. And sometimes I get them done. Other times I’m tired and just can’t muster the energy. And that’s not fair for my kids. My students at work get energetic, on-top-of-it Mrs. Sorrell, and my kids get exhausted, grumpy mom. I need more of a balance. I need to de-stress. I need to give my family my all. The problem is 70% of my all is gone by the time I get home every day!!! So where are the books for Orthodox (or any kind of Christian) working moms? Where is the advice on how to schedule your days? Working moms, speak up! Let’s start talking about how to balance our lives with intention!
I wonder if this is more of a convert/cradle difference. But you are right, most of the books out there are for the Orthodox SAHM. In fact, I can’t think of any that talk about making faith first while balancing work and home life.
I think you could be right. Maybe I can be the first working mom to have a platform!
I know I have read a few about the busy mom by Lisa Welchel (I think that is the name) and I have found some at Lifeway. I honestly cannot remember if she is a SAHM or a working mom. But if I ever have time I go to Lifeway and I will just sit in the section for women and look through every book. That rarely ever happens, but I try to do it every now and then.
True – not as much time to write. I remember one time I posted on facebook that there was a lunch seminar about balancing work and family, but I was too busy balancing work and family to attend. If I’d taken the hour out of my day to go, I’d have had to work late to make up, meaning less time with family. So it’s harder to reach out and feel connected, we are too busy just “doing”.
Karen, that’s hilarious – but so true!