One day a man came home from work to find total mayhem
at home. The kids were outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud and
muck. There were empty food boxes and wrappers all around.
As
he proceeded into the house, he found an even bigger mess inside — dishes
on the counter, dog food spilled on the floor, a broken glass under the table
and a small pile of sand by the back door. The family room was strewn with toys
and various items of clothing, and a lamp had been knocked over.
He
hurried up the stairs, stepping over more toys, looking for his wife. He was
becoming worried that she might be ill or that something had happened to her.
He found her in the bedroom, still in bed with her pajamas on, reading a book.
She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her
bewildered and asked, “What happened here today?” She smiled at him
again and answered, “You know everyday when you come home from work and
ask me what I did today?”
“Yes,”
he said. She grinned. “Well, today I didn’t do it!”
This
is something most women feel at sometime or another. The laundry doesn’t
thank us for scrubbing their backs. The dishes don’t praise us for the
Jacuzzi we fix for them on a daily basis. The towels and sheets don’t
salute when we walk by.
I
did an estimate to see what the financial worth of a homemaker would be if a
family had to pay for the typical services mom renders year after year:
•
Housekeeping, $13,000 (20 hours per week for 52 weeks)
•
Nursing, $1,300 (1 hour a week for 52 weeks)
•
Cook, $21,840, (3 hours a day/7 days a week/52 weeks)
•
Psychologist, $36,400 (1 hour a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks)
•
Taxi, $21, 840 (3 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks)
•
Tutor, $3,900 (1 hour a day , 5 days a week, 52 weeks)
•
Party Planner, $22,500 (10 times per year, 10 hrs work each party)
•
Sec./Receptionist, $17,472
(3 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks)
Grand
total: $138,252
As
you can see, most of women can’t even afford themselves! So, Dad, instead
of looking at all mom isn’t doing, this Mother’s Day, thank her for
something she is doing for you and the kids and have them write a card of
thanks too! Words are the best gift a mom can get on Mother’s Day!
Pam and
Bill Farrel are speakers and best selling authors. Their newest book is Why
Men and Women Act The Way They Do! They can be reached at
www.masterfulliving.com.