I've seen the sweet articles floating around Facebook these past few days. The one dedicated to the mom at Target and the mom at Chick Fil A. This blog is for neither, it's for you, mom at home.

I don't see you because you're locked safely behind your door, tucked inside the 4 walls of your home. I don't see you but I do know you. As I'm typing this I'm still in my PJ's, curled up on the chair in my sons room as he sits in the corner playing with random toys. You read the articles about Target and Chick Fil A mom and you understood what they were saying but personally you can't really relate. I know. You don't go out for many reasons. Sometimes it's because you don't have enough money to splurge at Target or Chick Fil A. Sometimes it's because you're so devoted to nap times that you live your life around them. Or maybe you share a car with your husband who works hard for you so there really isn't a way for you to get out and about. Maybe you simply don't like being the furious mom in the Target parking lot. Maybe home feels safer than risking the anxiety attacks that come from kids piled in a cart. An outing that was suppose to help you get out of the house quickly sends you rushing back home so that your children can throw their tantrums where no one else will see....or judge.

I don't see you because you're not out here mingling and truth be told I don't see you because I'm not out either. I know you because I am you. I don't think you're wrong for wanting to stay home. I get it. I really, really do. There is a certain amount of comfort that comes from the routine you've made for you and your children. I get that. Or maybe you're like me and you're still kinda new to the town you're living in. Your family is here, you've joined a wonderful church that you're serving in but you still haven't found many mom friends that don't have other things going on. Your kids are still little and maybe they have older children who have to be taken to school or MDO. I know that feeling.

I know the feeling you get when your husband kisses you on the forehead before leaving for work and you get a sudden sadness as you realize the next time you see him will be 12 hours from now. And the other sadness that breaks you when you realize he didn't get to see the kids all day. It's ok to feel like that. I think the thing that's even more sad than that is the fact that no one talks about it. The busy moms who read this on their phones in the car while they're waiting in the drive thru line for lunch...dont' feel sorry for us. We know staying isolated isn't good and we're working on it. We're working hard to break through the comfortability of the every day and just step outside of ourselves for a while. We really do want to meet you at Target just to walk around and chat or share some laughs over nuggets while the kids run in and out of tunnels in the play area. Give us time. Until then maybe you could take us up on our offer to share a cup of coffee on our couch instead of at Starbucks.

It may seem annoying at times, trust me, I'm even annoyed at it sometimes. But the reality is I don't know your story and you don't know mine. I want to know yours though. I want to know why you run millions of errands, never letting your kids get a good nap in. And I want you to know why my kid is 16 months old and still takes 2 naps a day plus is in bed at 8:30 each night. Share your story with me and I'll share mine with you. No judgement or ridicule. Just two moms who have an understanding that you do whatever works best for you and you family. Because I don't quite understand you but I really want to. So, come sit on my couch for a little while. We have stories to share, mama.