The Birth of Domestic Commando
The Birth of Domestic Commando or What's In a Name?
A few months after Firstborn arrived, Hubby and I were invited to a cocktail party. It was my first grownup event since the delivery, and I really looked forward to it.
As I waited for my club soda at the bar (I was still nursing), a man stepped up to me, drink in hand, and asked me what I did. I explained that I was "home with my baby." He literally turned around and walked away without even excusing himself.
I was livid! Who was he to dismiss me in that manner?
That's when I began to realize there really wasn't an adequate term for my new, 24/7 career. I never called myself a housewife ... I didn't marry a building (that simply qualifies as an unnatural act to me). Plus, it completely ignores the fact that I am hard at work raising my children. Same goes for housekeeper.
Stay-at-home mom, besides being somewhat cumbersome with the hyphens and all, was entirely too passive to adequately describe how much enthusiasm I had for the job and how much effort I put into it.
I struggled with my 'title' for nearly a year. The inspiration came one morning via the television. Remember the commercial for the Army with the tag line "We do more by 9:00am than most people do all day?"
Like a bolt of lightning, I realized, "That's it! I am a Domestic Commando!" Most people with paid jobs were probably just finishing the morning paper. I had done laundry, exercised, fed my child, cleaned the kitchen, and had planned meals and activities for the rest of my day. Yes -- I was a Domestic Commando.
The title has really worked for me, and I have used the military operational model as inspiration and a guide. When faced with a task, I adopt the discipline and focus typical of a military operation to do the best job I can for my family.
Are You A Domestic Commando?
(If you check one or more of the following, you are probably a Domestic Commando)
- I accomplish more by 9:00 a.m. than I did most days in the workplace.
- I know I deserve as much respect for my full time work at home as someone who works outside the home for a paycheck.
- I believe no one is more qualified to raise my child than I am.
- I did not marry a building, therefore I am not a "housewife."
- I’m confident that attitude, cleverness, common sense, self-discipline and a sense of humor is of greater benefit to my family and me than an elegant lifestyle.
- My kids call me "Dad," therefore I am not Mr. Mom.
- I don't measure a person's value by the size of their paycheck and expect others to extend the same courtesy.
- I realize that career skills and parenting skills are not mutually exclusive. In fact, many career skills (such as time management, human relations, hiring vendors, budgeting and even procurement) can be employed to the benefit of the successful Domestic Commando.
- I make no apologies to anyone for my decision to ‘stay-at-home.’
If personal circumstances do not permit you to make the stay-at-home decision, you may still be a Domestic Commando-at-Heart. Please join us because we have lots of good information to share that might make your days a little easier.