A Kind Word From a Stranger Changed This Stay-at-Home Mom Forever

Mother's Day is celebrated as an annual occasion for all moms, but deep inside, stay-at-home moms are struggling with insecurities every day.

Mommy Mary Amato recently quit her job and became a stay-at-home mother after giving birth to her firstborn. She felt like people thought that stopping work was more of an accusation than a statement of fact.

She quit her job because she felt that raising a child was essential, and she enjoyed doing it. Still, she felt insecure. She thought she was working harder than she had ever worked, yet she was not getting a single paycheck or recognition for what she was doing. This bothered her so much, as she felt she had done something wrong, yet she thought she was doing something important.

Just a Mom

Amato's husband, an award-winning science writer, gets recognition for his work. The Amatos lived in New York and were excited when her husband won an award from a chemistry association. She joined him at a banquet in California, where his colleagues praised him for his work.

The room was filled with a lot of scientists, primarily men. It was a celebratory affair, and the couple dressed up in a tuxedo and a formal dress.

According to NPR, when the awarding came, the host introduced her husband with a long list of accomplishments. Eventually, he turned his attention to Amato. When it was her turn, the host gestured to her, "a homemaker and a mother of two."

Amato was mortified. It was the first time that she heard herself defined by those words, and she suddenly felt a sense of shame. Perhaps this man thought she must be a clueless or a traitor to the cause.

The remark made her very self-conscious. After the congratulatory and grateful speeches were over, she was too embarrassed to mingle with people. She was staring at her dessert plate at her table until an older female scientist walked up to her.

"I just want you to know that what you are doing is valuable."

She told her, "I just want you to know that what you are doing is so valuable," Amato said.

Those simple words were precisely what Amato needed at that time. It completely changed her perspective and her life, WBOI reports.

Now, when she sees a woman or man pushing a stroller during the middle of a workday, she would take her time and say, "what you are doing is so valuable."

Not alone in this struggle

Ari Serrano-Embee, a stay-at-home mom, felt very lucky to be with her kids all the time. She did not imagine that taking care of her family at home was what she would be doing full time.

She sometimes feels that she has to be defensive about what she is doing, yet it is a different kind of work from the traditional jobs. Serrano-Embee says she feels like society does not acknowledge all the work it takes to raise children, as per Mothermag.