Entitlement is for Sissies

So often, we moms have a sense of entitlement when it comes to our "me" time. Our attitude often sounds like "I just spent the day training x number of kids and they've all been disobedient and I haven't sat down one time so you're going to watch the kids for me, honey, while I go to Starbucks and read a book. I deserve it."

I know I'm soooo guilty of this.

How many times have I "rewarded" myself for doing the most mundane stuff that I should be doing anyway? How many times have I felt slighted because my husband didn't complement me on the clean house (when I've managed to get it there!!) the minute he walked through the door? Didn't he NOTICE that all the laundry was folded and put away?

And then, when I settle down, I remind myself that he doesn't get rewarded at work when he gets his reports in on time. Nobody thanks him for doing the work he is SUPPOSED TO DO anyway. Granted, he does get paid, but I think that's beside the point.

The point, for us housewives, is that we aren't doing this for a reward. We do this because its our calling. We do this because it pleases God. We do this because it helps our children feel secure and it teaches them about order and discipline. We don't do it so we can get a Starbucks at the end of the day (my vice... I get one nearly every day, but I usually don't think of it as a reward... more like liquid energy).

A manicure... a day off... chocolate covered almonds... do we really raise up our children and keep our homes so we can get those things? Do we really want to walk around with the attitude that we are entitled to the self-pampering because we work hard?