While the number of stay-at-home moms in the United States has been on the decline, with more women dominating the workforce than ever before, there were still approximately 5 million stay-at-home moms in married-couple family settings in 2016. Often overlooked and undervalued, these women are the heartbeat of their families.

It’s one of the most inaccurate stereotypes in existence, the lazy stay-at-home mother, lounging on the couch watching her daytime soaps and, ultimately, doing nothing all day long. The truth is that these women make an admirable decision, putting the needs of their family ahead of their careers and professional success.

They are the pulse of the family, keeping everything running smoothly and without issue at home. Their families come to rely upon them. They maintain their homes, prepare home-cooked meals, take care and guide their children throughout their early, formative years, and they do it all with a smile. In short, they are real-life Wonder Women!

Yet, despite all that, they do the stereotype continues to be a topic of conversation. How do we break through and eliminate this stereotype once and for all? The best weapon in our arsenal is our own efforts to break the silence and share the truth!

This is exactly what Florida mother and tattoo artist Ryshell Castleberry set out to do when she wrote a creative and hard-hitting post on Facebook, just a year ago. The original post is no longer available, but before it was removed, or the privacy settings were changed, it had been shared over 400,000 times.

The post included a fictional conversation between a husband who is frustrated with the fact that his wife, a stay-at-home mother, doesn’t work and his psychiatrist. By asking the right questions, the psychiatrist uncovers just how much this man’s wife actually accomplishes over the course of a single day. He even goes as far as comparing her daily activities to his own, highlighting the fact that he takes some ‘downtime’ while she’s still going strong. What an eye-opener!

Check out this thought-provoking post from Ryshell Lynch:

Conversation between a husband (H) and a psychologist (P):

P: What do you do for a living Mr. Rogers?

H: I work as an accountant in a bank.

P: Your wife?

H: She doesn’t work. She’s a housewife.

P: Who makes breakfast for your family?

H: My wife, because she doesn’t work.

P: What time does your wife wake?

H: She wakes up early because it has to be organized. She organizes the lunch for the children, ensures that they are well-dressed and combed, if they had breakfast, if they brush their teeth and take all their school supplies. She wakes with the baby and changes diapers and clothes. Breastfeeds and makes snacks as well.

P: How do your children get to school?

H: My wife takes them to school, because she doesn’t work.

P: After taking their children to school, what does she do?

H: Usually takes a while to figure something out that she can do while she is out, so she doesn’t have to pack and unpack the carseat too many times, like drop off bills or to make a stop at the supermarket. Sometimes she forgets something and has to make the trip all over again, baby in tow. Once back home, she has to feed the baby lunch and breastfeed again, get the baby’s diaper changed and ready for a nap, sort the kitchen and then will take care of laundry and cleaning of the house. You know, because she doesn’t work.

P: In the evening, after returning home from the office, what are you doing?

H: Rest, of course. Well, I’m tired after working all day in the bank.

P: What does your wife do at night?

H: She makes dinner, serves my children and I, washes the dishes, orders once more the house, makes sure the dog is put away as well as any left over dinner. After helping children with HW she gets them prepared to sleep in pajamas and the baby is in fresh diapers, gives warm milk, verifies they brush their teeth. Once in bed she wakes frequently to continue to breastfeed and possibly change a diaper if needed while we rest. Because she doesn’t have to get up for work.

– This is the daily routine of many women all over the world, it starts in the morning and continues until the wee hours of the night… This is called ‘doesn’t work’?!

Being a housewife has no diplomas, but has a key role in family life!

Enjoy and appreciate your wife, mother, grandma, aunt, sister, daughter… Because their sacrifice is priceless.

Somebody asked her…

You are a woman who works or is it just ‘housewife’??

She replied:

I work as a wife of the home, 24 hours a day…

I am a mother,

I am a woman,

I am a daughter,

I’m the alarm clock,  

I’m the cook,

I’m the maid,

I am the master,

I’m the bartender,

I’m the babysitter,

I’m a nurse,

I am a manual worker,

I’m a security officer,

I’m the adviser,

I am the comforter,

I don’t have a vacation,

I don’t have a licence for disease.

I don’t have a day off

I work day and night,

I’m on duty all the time,

I do not receive salary and…

Even so, I often hear the phrase:

“but what do you do all day?”

Dedicated to all the women who give their lives for the welfare of their families

The woman is like salt:

Her presence is not remembered, but its absence makes everything left without flavor.

Share with all the beautiful ladies of your life.”

Feature Image Source: Ryshell Lynch | Facebook