"That SAHM I am! That SAHM I am!"

Title: Professional SAHM

Key Accomplishments: Provide senior leadership in the collaborative and coordinated logistics; public relations; activities; security; medical treatment; meal preparation; facility improvements, upgrades, and maintenance; budget development and administration; scheduling; goal-setting; daily instruction, and other varied functions as the need arises for the husband and children I am happily responsible for.

Stay-At-Home-Moms (SAHMs) have no gaps in their work experience.

The idea that a SAHM is “not working” because she does not put on “Business Smart Attire” before leaving her home to commute to an outside place of employment, and then return home at the end of the day; is a very misinformed and outdated idea.

Recently, one headhunter had the following question asked by a SAHM who was attending a recruiting and hiring workshop at a local municipal facility: On my resume how do I address the fact that there are employment gaps because I haven’t been working since I’ve stayed home to raise my children?

Here’s how the recruiter responded:

“You don’t address that fact because you’ve never stopped working. Employers like receiving resumes where the person includes Child Care Provider as the career title, and follows that title with a cohesive description, written in sentence form, of the management-level responsibilities carried out by a Stay-At-Home-Mom. Don’t underestimate what you do as a child care provider. You do everything.”

I decided to take that absolute correct thought which needed to be said for the world to hear to the next level by interviewing a very close friend/sister who has chosen to be a SAHM.

Here’s what Stephanie had to say:

My outside-of-the-home professional background is that of a degreed Music Specialist, and I taught music at the elementary level in a public school for 11 years before having children. Once Bill and I decided to start a family we talked about me staying home for a year to raise our first child. I couldn’t wait to be a mom, and I was even more excited about being home with the baby.

What we thought would be one year has turned into five years after we had two more children. I am now a SAHM raising three girls under the age of five. No one can tell me for a moment that I am not working – I’m not only working during the daytime hours, but I work 24-7!


So, here goes as I begin the first of these weekly Saturday blogs.


Not long ago, my good friend and sister, Sharon, said to me:

“Hey Lil’ Sis, I want to include a weekly blog from a SAHM’s point of view for LifelineExtension’s readers and I think you’re just the person to do this -- think about it and let me know what you think.”

Knowing my friend/sister for this many years, and having worked with her as fellow teachers in an elementary school; told me that the figuring out of how in the world this would be done had already taken place in Sharon’s mind. And, that I really didn’t need to feel scared or anxious about it because Sharon would be right by my side the whole time like she always has been whenever there’s been something huge I was facing.

But, in keeping with the honesty that blended us together as friends in the first place; here’s what I said:

I feel overwhelmed most days at home, and I know that's why you're asking me to do this. There has to be a much better SAHM you can ask! I feel like I have so much to do to get my act together.

I was up around 3:30 with the baby, came back downstairs while I waited for her to fall asleep, read your email, started responding, then my middle girl was up (bad dream I think). While I was sitting on her bed I had so many thoughts about this...scared, under-qualified, excited, I NEED to do this, there's NO WAY I can do this, and the list goes on!

Let me try to go back to sleep (I probably only have another hour before my eldest gets up for the day). When you said Saturday, did you mean TODAY or next Saturday???????????????????????????????????????????????????????

I could see Sharon’s smiling eyes through the response she sent to me: “Sis, you are so wonderful. You’ve already written the first blog for “That SAHM I am! That SAHM I am!” at 4:15 this morning. I’ll put together your thoughts in the blog and then e-mail it to you so we can make any quick edits before I publish. Your raw honesty is just what our readers need. I love you.”

Sharon also said to me: “Steph, in reading your posts on another site you seem to be one person in your SAHM circle of friends who will just say it. Then, the responses are never-ending! It's as if everyone was thinking it, but they just didn't know how to say it, or they didn't know if it would be okay to say it. You often open the door for the reply threads to happen.”

My guess is this may be what Sharon is talking about…yesterday evening I posted something about taking my 3 & 5 year olds to a children’s restaurant and funhouse that the kids all love, and the parents all seem to dread.

The responses that followed were hilarious! There was talk about never having gone and not being sure if the person would ever do so; another person was glad there was not a funhouse next to their home; a reminder came from others to first shop for anti-bacterial soap, headache medicine, and rat poison; someone else told me the kids would love it but that I would cringe!

I laughed so hard when I got back with the girls and got a chance to read the reply threads! Then, I added:

LOL to all the comments! Of course I didn't even think to bring anti-bacterial soap until I was already there...was so grossed out about the thought of them eating after playing...when we got home we all scrubbed (and scrubbed, and scrubbed some more) and I still felt the germs crawling all over me!!! They loved it. It is only 5 minutes from our house (we went for a birthday party), and it’s in the same shopping center I go to for other stores so they will see it every week. My eldest was actually a little scared of the mascot but I saw a side of her I’d never seen before…so concerned for my second child…where she was, what she was doing, making sure she didn’t get hurt…I think the middle one’s fall in early June affected my eldest more than I realized…they were very sweet together…Sharon, maybe you’re right…I could keep writing but this is long enough for a comment…

So, I’ll speak with all the LifelineExtensions.blog readers again next Saturday. Sharon and I actually put this week’s blog together because after all, that’s what sisters do for each other so the load isn’t too heavy for either one of them…

“That SAHM I am! That SAHM I am!” And, I love every minute of it…yes, even the stressful moments!

Stephanie Evans
Professional SAHM


Stephanie Evans and her husband, Bill, live in New Jersey with their three daughters who are ages five, three, and one. Stephanie has a B.S. degree in Music Education and taught Music for 11 years in the public school system. She loves children and enjoyed being a teacher, but she loves being a SAHM even more!