A Michigan woman published a Facebook post about the life of a stay-at-home mom. What she shared struck a chord with many, with the post going viral—and for good reason.
In this day and age, it’s not easy being a single-income family. Not all families can afford to have one parent at home to look after the children while the other goes to work. If a household can afford it, how fortunate.
So when Kayla Roussin, 27, and her husband, Jonathan, discussed the idea of Kayla staying home to care for their three children, some expectations were laid out upfront.
“We as mothers do not give up careers, adult interaction, a paycheck, and sanity to ensure that the house shines like the top of the Chrysler building when our husbands walk through the door, and I feel pretty confident in saying that many of us are way more stressed about the mess than you are,” she added.
For Kayla, being a stay-at-home mother means more than just tidying up the house, the priority is—and should be—the children.
“I stay at home to be present in their lives, not to make sure my house is spotless at a moments notice,” she shared.
“If they want to play a game, I’m going to play. If they want me to snuggle, darn right I’m going to snuggle. If they want to color, we’re going to make a masterpiece to hang proudly on the fridge.”
The care of the home is a responsibility that Kayla and her husband both share. Although Kayla cleans most of the interiors, Jonathan helps when he can and also looks after the yard.
Her heartfelt post soon went viral, receiving mostly positive feedback.
“I feel like so many moms these days are so consumed with cleaning the house so their husbands aren’t upset that they end up missing out on their kids being young. And that makes me so sad,” Kayla told PEOPLE.
“I was hoping that women would realize it’s okay to leave the mess there. I’m not saying to make your house a dump … but being a stay-at-home mom means so much more than keeping your house clean. It means being there for your kids,” she said.
