Why doesn't your mom work?

Mayhem #1 had to field that question from her boss yesterday. Her boss is probably 10 or 12 years younger than me with an eight month old baby. Mayhem #1 told her, "Mom and dad decided that when they had kids, mom would stay home and take care of them."
Then she asked, "How can they do it?"
"My dad's an accountant." (I'm not sure exactly how that fits into the equation.) "We don't have a lot of stuff." At this point the boss probably stopped listening.

I was proud of Mayhem #1's answer. As I've told them, I didn't bring kids into this world to let other people raise them. I'm not going to get on my soap box about whether or not moms should work, but it made me feel good that she understood why I'm "just a mom." Sometimes it is kind of hard to find some self-worth when you're just a mom, but the you have to remind yourself that what you're doing is right. My girls think I'm COOL! What other endorsement do I need?

Mayhem #1 is going to have to talk to her boss about her schedule. It's tearing her up, but she may have to quit. They have her scheduled for 15 hours next week. And they have her scheduled to work on Saturday which she told them in advance she had to have off for solo and ensemble competition. The boss isn't living up to her end of the bargain. They said they would be flexible with her school schedule, and Mayhem #1 gives them plenty of notice of when she can't work. I told her that she has the rest of her life to work for a living, but you're only a high school senior once. There are too many once-in-a-lifetime things that are happening now for her to be stressed over a job. Yes, I know we wanted her to get the job, but her main job right now is school. And, yes, she'll have to get another job, but maybe in the summer. It has been a good experience for her. We'll just wait and see what happens.