I'll say it.

"HELP! I'm trapped..."


I'm a working mother. There. I said. I. Am. A. Working. Mother. As much as I don't want to be, I am. 'Working Mom' has such a negative tone to it. When brought up in a converstation, those moms that get to stay home often reply with, "Well, I could never leave my child all day. I love them too much." Why does a working mother love her children any less (or visa versa, for that matter. A working mother is no better than a stay at home mom - who in my opinion works JUST as hard). Perhaps the working mother needs to go back for financial reasons. Maybe she enjoys the 8 hours of free time - speaking to adults instead of watching Sesame Street on repeat. Or, maybe the perks of her job are too good to give up, which is my case.

I work so I can show my daughter the world, and every Saturday and Sunday when I get up at 2:30am to be at work for 5am, I remind my self of that. I work to give Layla what she needs AND what she wants. Would I rather be back at home snuggling in bed, taking in her baby smell and waiting for the sun to rise? Yes. Would I rather get up and make breakfast for my husband and myself and fold laundry? Yes. But if I do those things Layla would not be heading to Disney, NYC, Toronto & Montreal before she is a year old (or to Italy and possibly Australia by the time she is two).

Both working moms and SAHMoms love their children equally, and trust me, I believe that given the opporunity 4 out of 5 working mothers would WANT to stay home. So, why is there such a disconnect between the two? When did working or staying home become the battle of 'I'm the better Mommy'. Why does one set feel entitled while the other feels trapped - and I'm not labeling one or the other. The simple fact is each wants to be recogized for what they do.

I just want moms to remember, though, that working mothers miss their children ALL day long. There is not a second that goes by during my day that I don't think of Layla - how she is, what she's doing. It's not easy to get up in the morning and walk away from her, or hear her cry when Mr G calls me to check in. Working straight up sucks - but for the moment, I have to do it. And for stay at home moms? I get that, too... you're job is equally as demanding. There are never enough hours in a day, and having a child wrapped around your leg 24/7 is exhausting.

But, at the end of the long tiring day, working moms and stay at home moms are the same: we are just moms.