Stay at Home, Mom

Oh, how my attitudes have changed. I never thought that I would be OK being a stay at home mom. I thought it would make me completely loony. But Finn's prematurity turned me into just that, at least temporarily. Not loony, but a stay at home mom.

And sometimes loony.

I had no idea what this would be like, but I was secretly glad of the opportunity to spend his first year with him. It could be because of his hospital stay, or it could be that I would have felt this way even if I had had a third trimester. In fact, if I had my way, I would probably be just fine staying home until he goes to preschool, or college, but home economics doesn't usually work that way in America in 2009.

Turns out, I don't miss being out and about during they day, and I don't really miss people. It would be nice to see a few more of Pete's gigs and see my girlfriends a little but more, but that would be the case even if I were working.

Stay at home mothering was apparently more common in the past, if you are to believe the television shows. And in 1961, it looked just like this:

It's like we are twins, except for the hair and the cigarette.
Perfect hair, perfect make-up, perfect outfit, spotless kitchen. Me. To A Tee.

Seriously, what the f*@$?
I don't look like that on a good day. Let alone on, say, a Tuesday.
That's January Jones in "Mad Men" (which is an excellent show, you might like it), and granted, she's already way ahead of me in the looks department, which is a-ok.* She also has about ten years to go to catch up to me, age-wise.

In this television show, almost all the women are either moms or secretaries. The main mom looks like this almost. every. day. When she is not like that, she's in a lovely chemise or penoir. Glamorous. Gorgeous. Totally believable.

I'm lucky to get a shower twice a week. Make-up happens if I am going to leave the house, which is about the same rate. The last time I put on a dress was September 6th, and that was a very special occasion.

Was it ever reality for anyone? I understand that the show takes place in the suburbs, and they are doing just fine financially, but she does not have live-in help. How is it possible? One does not arise looking like that when one does not have animated bluebirds assisting you. They have two kids, neither of whom are babies, so maybe before the show started, she looked like this:

Let's try again, and see if you can tell which one is me:

It's like looking in a mirror. (Note the "Hostess" book. SO me.)

*which means please, no comments like "oh you look great, blah blah blah."