"You Are Needed, Mom!"

Now that I no longer have a small child around the house to care for, I am sometimes the victim of acute bouts with the Almost Empty Nest Syndrome. There are times when I begin to question my value as a stay-at-home full-time housewife. Just recently, however, I have begun to realize that I do have a place in the scheme of things and that there are certain functions that only I am able to do.

This realization first came to me when I noticed that I am the only one in the family who knows how to take down a Christmas tree. In an effort to bolster my ego, I began to make a list of all of the other jobs that only I can do.

I am the only one who:

--Knows how to replace the spare roll of toilet paper.
--Can close the basement door.
--Can put leftovers into little containers instead of putting the whole serving dish into the refrigerator.
--Knows where the scattered shoes of each family member belong.
--Knows how to iron.
--Is able to take clothes out of the dryer.
--Can repair a hem without using Scotch tape or staples.
--Is able to roll up the cord on the vacuum cleaner.
--Knows to let the dog out.
--Knows that a dog who has been let out has to be let back in.
--Isn’t afraid that the heels of the bread are poison.

It’s nice to be needed.

Carol Swiderski
Via BULLETIN DIGEST