When we first moved to a new community in a new state and town I struggled with finding my purpose in all of it. Why was I here and what was I supposed to do now?

I thought I needed a job since I was working even while homeschooling before, but the kids have either graduated from college, are in college, or transitioned fully to dual credit classes.

The trouble was I wasn’t sure how long we’d be at the new location and it had taken me a long time to build my business and reputation back home. I decided to look into remote work which is really difficult to get into apparently, and even though I have degrees, certifications, and experience teaching and instructing in non traditional work environments, none of this seemed to matter. Re-entering the workforce after you’ve chosen to stay at home with your kids is challenging…but not impossible.

I had several rejections that explained I was qualified but they chose to go with someone who already possessed experience with a specific program or just remote work in general. While I could admit that was likely a wise choice for them as they would not have to train the new person as heavily, I felt useless, rejected, and a little dehumanized, like I had no value.

I say FELT! I know the truth of God’s word says otherwise and that I was finding my identity in what I did or wanted to do rather than who I am in Christ.

So what does anyone do when they want to go off on someone and just let them have it…which was also how I was feeling because they kept looking at a piece of paper and not a lifetime of who I am.

Some people storm the office and really give them an earful. I on the other hand, wrote a sort of spoken word poetry that made me feel like a nerdy gangsta! 🤣🤣🤣 I felt like it was more aggressive than writing a letter! Then I teamed up with one of the best illustrators I know and we published a children’s book and we are working on 2 more! So there’s that! https://amzn.to/3u0R3i0

Enjoy my nerdy gangsta life, y’all! ✌🏼 poem below : ps this is what being in your feels looks like!

What do you do,

they ask the mother who minds the home, schooling and nurturing her kids.

As if a constant spreadsheet doesn’t auto calculate in her mind with every necessary and unnecessary purchase, as well as the inventory of things needed to make the house run from groceries, to toilet paper, clean socks and stuff to clean socks, dog food and pipe insulation to prepare for an upcoming storm. Not to mention the constant running code of transcripts, school supplies, class lists and requirements, grading and answers that never stops growing.

But no, the question is what do you do?

They mean money and a career,

And when they’re met with my answer there’s often an automatic sneer.

They don’t understand that managing a home and family is like running a small business.

They want to see credentials and abbreviations beside your name and a resume that’s endless.

They get business hours and weekends and vacations, not stopping to think that our job is a round the clock never stopping vocation.

We’ve dreams and aspirations and even degrees of our own, we have certifications and side hustles, but our focus was on our four walls and what takes place in our home.

The desire to choose what goes into our kids, not just their stomachs, but their minds, to shape them Biblically in a world where it’s often uncool to be kind.

They’ll be weird and unsocialized and lack social skills.

Maybe, but we have maturity appropriate conversations, and learn Biblical responses to deal with their feels.

We don’t shelter them from hard things but teach them to deal appropriately with time, not throw them into situations ill equipped without reason or rhyme.

We lay a foundation for success when they’re grown, we teach practical things too, so they can thrive on their own.

They go to universities where they’re in the top of their classes, but ya’ll don’t see teaching degrees so ya’ll assume we’re just giving free passes.

Our kids pass the same tests as everyone else, they are our resumes, our credentials literally speak for themselves.

Next time you think a stay-at-home mom isn’t up to the task, take a walk with her instead, and let her school you on all the things you didn’t learn in class!