the CV

The other day Rob and I were having the age old conversation about how he goes out to work and pays the bills and keeps a roof over our heads. And yes he is right, he does work hard to do all of this for our family, but I had to remind him that that is only half the work that needs to be done to keep this household going. That behind the scenes I work really hard to keep everything else together and ticking over, and it may not bring in any money but it certainly is valid and worthy of recognition. This isn't to say that Rob doesn't recognise this (most of the time) because he does, but as a lot of people out there struggle with this when they become mothers, it's hard to really feel all that you do is taken seriously and your place in the family and even that in the society is valid. Josie has written about this subject in detail and it's reassuring to know that I'm not the only one out there who feels this way!

I read about Nell's new found employment status as a 'home-maker' it really made me feel proud to say yes, me too! For so long I've been almost embarrassed to tell people that I was a stay at home mum, like it's something that isn't worthy of a real description or title or doesn't require any skill. But thinking about it, if I were to write a CV of all the skills I've had to put into practice and learn since becoming a mother, it would be a long old list...so lets give it a little go:

excellent at:

 multitasking
keeping a level head
coping well under pressure
working long unsociable hours
being flexible on said working hours and willing to work over time
function on low energy levels
being kind, supportive
giving the right level of disclipine
keeping a straight face when needed
delegating (your turn to clean up the shitty nappy?)
being physically strong, and high pain threshold (pregnancy, labour?)
cooking
cleaning
educating
being creative
being fun
meeting new people (making people want to be your friend...)
keep calm in unforeseen situations
keeping a professional demeanor (when all you want to do is tell the nosy 'well meaning' mother at playgroup to f off and mind her own business)
taking initiative
negotiating (bribing)
doing undesirable tasks (cleaning up sick, shit, thrown food...)
organising
time keeping and being punctual (this never actually happens)
eating/showering/weeing at lightening speed

and the list goes on...feel free to add to this list anything I might have missed off!

So next time I apply for a job perhaps I should include some of these skills instead of feeling I have to hide the fact I'm a mother because it may mean I've lost all my skills I once possessed to be able to function in a working environment....