Hearts-at-Home

The Hearts-at-Home Organization recently had a big conference in the Great Lakes Region. Guess what? I missed it. I only found about it after the fact, when it was featured in our local paper. I would have gone, if I knew about it sooner.

The organization's goal is to encourage, educate, and equip women "in the profession of motherhood". I'm mighty curious about this last part. They seek to professionalize motherhood. How exactly does one do that? I don't think it's enough to give us SAHMs fancy titles such as "Chief Domestic Officer" or "Executive Home Manager". There's got to be much more than that. I've never been comfortable giving myself these fancy job titles anyhow. I'm a mom. A stay-at-home mom. There is no shame in it that it needs to be hidden behind long-winded job descriptions.

But I don't think this is simply what Hearts-at-Home does. They don't gloss over the reality that a stay-at-home mom, well, stays at home. But they want women to realize that it's a career choice, a professional undertaking. Read the excerpt from their website:

We know that being a mom is a wonderfully rewarding job. Seeing those first steps, snuggling on the couch in the afternoon, catching the excitement when they come home from school are just some of the benefits of being home. We also know, though, that being home can be a lonely job. It can also be a thankless job. And in our society today it is not often considered a "real" job.

Hearts at Home desires to change that. We want moms to understand their God-given value and the important role they play in society. We also want to give them a much-deserved pat on the back. Most of all, we want moms to think of being home as a career choice. Our desire is to professionalize mothering!

They have another conference in a couple of weeks, in Minnesota. And they have a few more next year to watch out for!