Ever since I became a mom, I have felt resistant to the labels “working mom” and “stay-at-home mom.” While I understand the distinction in theory, I don’t resonate with these titles. I don’t know any mom who is not working hard, whether for pay or not, outside the walls of her home, or not. Also, moms who do not have a career outside of mothering rarely stay at home. In this current era, when COVID turned the world upside down and working from home became a mandate for most people, remote work is now common. Many paid workers are in fact, “working from home.” Perhaps this is shaking up and redefining these categories!
My mother worked for pay outside of our house for many seasons, though not all of my childhood. She worked in retail and as a secretary but not on a career path. Regardless, she still cooked dinner, helped me with my homework, kissed me goodnight, and performed a hundred other daily mom tasks. When she wasn’t working for pay, she was volunteering at our schools and always serving in the church, regardless of her employment.
When my life took me on a career path that I loved (as a social work professor), I wanted to continue working while having children. I sought to ensure that my work didn’t prevent me from being a quality, connected mom. I didn’t want to be labeled as a “working mother,” thinking it might somehow minimize the deeply important and significant role that motherhood has in my daily life. Yes, I work outside the house, and I work a ton inside the house. And in the past two years, I have done a lot of work for my job inside my house as well! Both are hard and beautiful investments. Some of the payback is more immediate than others, in different seasons and in different ways.
I think about the “Proverbs 31 Woman.” She did it all! She was a worker inside and outside the home. She was industrious, multitalented, loved by her children, honored by her husband, a keen businesswoman, artisan, cook, wise counselor, and benevolent caregiver to the poor and needy. This example is inspiring! It can also feel exhausting to consider. How could one woman do all of this?
Take a few minutes to read Proverbs 31:10-31 in your Bible or online.
This expansive picture of all that an honorable woman does in service of family, community, and God is inspiring. This example dissolves the categories of working mom or stay-at-home mom! In each role, it is for the honor of God and through His power.
“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To [God] be the glory forever” (Rom. 11:36). If you are packing lunches, folding laundry, creating annual reports, grading papers for your classes, hopping on a Zoom meeting, reading a book to your child, making critical decisions in a meeting, or taking an evening walk with your family, do all these things as a steward of what God gives us to do, through His strength, for His glory.
And remember, you are not alone. We are all in this, and we need each other. Think about what you need right now to find balance, peace, and strength in the place you find yourself. How can you encourage others and/or seek encouragement in the place of motherhood you are in right now? How can we help each other look to Him to help us?
Julie Hunt is an Associate Professor of Social Work and Director of Field Education at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. She is wife to Dave Hunt, a worship director and wood worker, and mother to a college aged son and two teenaged daughters. She also enjoys walking, baking, reading, food blogging, thrifting, and enjoying time with friends.
