Time Management and the Stay At Home Mom

You organized the silverware drawer -- whew, that was tough.  Reward yourself!  Sit back; have a cup of tea and contemplate good things for 15 minutes.

Seriously?

I worked as a waitress for 15 years.  Know how many breaks I got?
Zero.
You know how often my coworkers and I complained about not getting breaks? 
Never. 

Because making as much money as possible in one shift is the goal of any wait person.  And you can’t realize that goal sitting on the curb by the dumpster dragging on a cigarette. 

OK, but you're not a waitress, you're a Stay At Home Mom.  

What is your goal for each day?

“Good kids and a clean house.”  

(That is my mom’s permanent answer to, “What do you want for your birthday/Christmas/Mother’s Day?” It used to make me crazy since I knew we couldn't deliver.  Now I totally understand the wish.)

I can’t reach my goal without some serious elbow grease.  I definitely won't get there by refusing to do anything useful for 15 minutes out of every waking hour. (Yeah, yeah, mental health is infinitely useful; you know what I mean.)

Certainly we all need a break from time to time, but not after every freaking task.  I constantly read advice hyping the short shift for moms who don't work outside the home:  Stay At Home Moms should work for 45 minutes then take a 15 minute break.   

Do I really need 15 minutes to recover from mopping the floor or folding laundry?  If I do, I’d damned well better be really old or really sick.

SAHMs are patted on the head with condescension disguised as encouragement: Good for you!  You cleaned the kitchen/fed the children/vacuumed the living room.  You must be worn out -- treat yourself!

Can’t a Stay At Home Mom focus on a set of tasks and power through the day -- just as any working person is expected to?  Without the treats?  Don’t patronize me.  If I’m doing a shit job, I know it.  I am choosing to be overwhelmed. I am opting out of adulthood.  I am hiding my head in the internet.  I am not in need of a break.