When your work has no pay, no hours, no breaks
They say, "What do you do?"
And you say, "I'm a stay-at-home mom."
They ask politely the ages of your children
And then move on to find other conversation
Sometimes you are clever and say
"I am a teacher, nurse, custodian, judge…"
The older mothers whisper,
"Good for you."
When you work outside the home
They say "How do you do it?"
You say, "I'm on my way to a meeting, let's talk later."
They ask politely the ages of your children
And may add, "You look tired."
Sometimes in your head you say,
"You seem like a bitch for saying so."
The women in their twenties say,
"Better you than me, girl."
When you work part-time
They aren't sure what to say
Do you work because you have to or because you want to?
So they say some combination of,
Good for you, you tired bitch.
How do you do it better than me?
Heather Rader is a freelance writer by night and a teacher-librarian and homeschooling mom of three by day. Her work has been printed in Mothering magazine, Living Without, Teaching K-8, The Sun, and Midwifery Today. She writes book reviews and is a frequent contributor to Northwest Baby and Child. She is self-publishing a book called Crocus in Early Dirt that chronicles a year of her one-woman letter writing campaign. This is her first published poem.
