Hi Dr. Laura:

Today, I watched three of my five grandchildren, so my youngest daughter could drop the other kids off at school and go have lunch with a friend.  I love spending that time with them.  We played with toys, read books and took a long walk.  I was about to make lunch for them, when I noticed the lunch boxes my daughter had sent with them.  Inside were the most organized and nutritional lunches!  I was happy to see this.

Then a thought occurred to me - my daughter is an amazing mother, wife and daughter.  She loves taking care of her family.  When I looked at the packed lunches, I thought "she is a professional Mom."  "Stay-at-home Mom" is a privilege and a great title, but if someone was to ask her what she did for a living, I thought a great response would be "I am a professional Mom."  Being a real mom takes great ingenuity, patience, insight, forethought, planning, investigation, timing, budgeting, and the ability to multitask on a moment's notice, all without ever taking a vacation or a sick day.  I was a "professional Mom" as well, but I wasn't that organized, and I lived in sweatpants!  Still, it was the best thing I ever did, and I'm glad my daughter is carrying that legacy on with HER children.

Angela