When SAHMs attack

I know staying home with children can be trying at times. Fewer Washingtons in the pocket. No office rumor mill. No happy hour. Crappier day clothes.

But come on. The recent study by Salary.com that says a SAHM, or housewife, would earn $130,000 a year if she earned a salary is utter and total nonsense.

What's up with this job description:

housekeeper, day care center teacher, cook, computer operator, laundry machine operator, janitor, facilities manager, van driver, CEO and psychologist.

Van driver? Well, maybe these women should be walking more and driving their giant automobiles less. But that's a whole different set of rants.

When women work, they have to be all of these things plus a productive employee in the workplace. And then, there's the added pressure of working as much and as hard as the singles filling the newsroom's cubicles.

I'm not bitter. Honestly, I'm not. And you want to know why?

It's because I'm grateful I get to stay at home with my children every day. Grateful. How many women in the workplace would change places with us for just a week and can't because they just can't?

Wow. I sure am preachy today. Perhaps I should have stuck with writing about something I saw at the playground yesterday.

A woman was sitting in her minivan singing Shania Twain while her two daughters played at the park. Maybe, I thought, she just loves this song and felt lucky to catch it on the radio. We've all done that — let the car run just a little longer as the tune plays on.

But no. The next song comes on and who is it crooning a pop tune? Shania Twain.

This woman was listening to a CD.

Isn't that weird that she would sing that loud with me sitting 10 feet from her? It's not like she had awesome pipes or anything.

I love playground observations. Maybe I could spin it into a career that paid me $1 a word.

Seriously magazine editors of the world, I could write about 130,000 words. Easy.