What do you "do"?

I am a little sensitive to the question "what do you do?" I know it's a silly sensitivity - I was raised in the after glow of bra burning and g-spots and equal opportunity. I had a working mother, for Pete's sake, before working mothers were "normal"! I know what I do has eternal value and that I am doing a silent, unrecognized and yet ultra-valuable job of providing hearth and home to my husband and children.....and yet, I feel bad that I don't have a business card.

It really hit home when my 6 year old son came home one day and asked me "what do you do?" See, they were studying careers in 1st grade and lots of parents had come in to speak to the class about being a lawyer, dentist, restaurateur, weather-man, teacher, coach - and it was logical for Michael to wonder what I "do". I tried to explain that I cypher, organize, clean, schedule, cook, change, spread, water, paint, hang, hem, hook, plan, pray, defend, discipline, compromise and commandeer the lives of 6 people everyday - and his response was "yeah, I know, but what do you do?!" Jeez.

When I was a little girl, my mother played a game with me every time she buttoned up my dress/shirt/shoes/coat: for each button she would point and say "rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief, doctor, lawyer, Indian chief" and wherever the buttons ended corresponded to what I would "do" when I grew up. Would I be proud to be any of these things??

Mom was a career woman with the demands of home and work forged upon her and still taking time to make a riddle out of buttoning my blouse.

What do I do?

Last week, we had 3 trees cut down in our yard. The arborist came to remove the stumps and, later, we stood out in the yard discussing the economy and such. He asked, "How is your business doing?" - and yes, "what do you do?" AHHH!!! I am still stewing over how to handle this from here on out. I am tempted to give a sarcastic response, but that would further degrade the still underestimated station of stay-at-home-mother.

Recently, in a meeting attended by all male professionals (except for little 'ole me), there were introductions via conference call with a well respected South Carolina attorney. Each male was defined by his glamorous title and then there was me....Jeanne Quinn....no title or profession....and then the big shot attorney says "I have heard of you Jeanne, and your reputation as a true Southern Lady"......Can I have THAT on my business card?????
This is my REAL business card. I can't tell you how very proud I am to call myself their mother. They don't know what I "do" either - but God knows and now, you know too!

Good night! ~J