thoughts: 5 Reasons…I mean 27 Reasons Why Working in Retail Prepared Me for Motherhood

I had 14 years of retail management under my belt before I became a mama…and well, it got me starting to think about how the two are very similar…my previous career as a retail store manager & my current career as a stay-at-home-mama.

Being a SAHM has nothing to do with propping up your feet , eating bon-bons, or watching daytime television.

I was under the assumption (before I had kids, of course), that this job would be easy and it involved if not one, maybe all of those things.  Boy, was I disillusioned-HA!

Pre-kids/Pre-SAHM, I thought, “How hard can it be?”…well, to say that I was completely wrong is accurate.  It was a “Big Mistake….BIG….HUGE!!”, – quoting Miss Vivian Ward, (http://www.monologuedb.com/quotes-and-one-liners/pretty-woman-vivian-ward/), (and yes, my favorite movie is about a working girl – don’t judge ;).

Lesson learned, don’t assume and assess what you think you might know about something until you actually know something about that said something ;)  Words to live by, my friend!

So here’s what I came up with!  These flowed out of me with no end in sight – HA!  I bet you have some to add, too.  I would love to hear them :)

27 Similar Job Traits: working in retail vs. being a mama

(Oh, and if you are even a little bit squeamish – don’t read #19)

1.  Both require you to be on your feet ALLLLLLL STINKIN’ DAAAAAAAY.

2.  Both require very, very long hours/days/weeks/months…………..

3.  Both kill your back:

retail	mama
moving fixtures, clothing, racks	lifting a 30+ lb toddler & a 25+ lb infant (sometimes at the same time!)

4.  Both require you to clean up someone else’s mess.

5.  Both allow you to have a super small (if any) break/meal time.

6.  Both require management skills:

retail	mama
running a store with employees	running a home with kids

7.  Both require you to get down & dirty.

8.  Individuals involved in both are very demanding:

retail	mama
customers & employees	children

9.  Both cause stress that keeps you up at night and are unable to clear your mind:

retail	mama
store visits, customer feedback, store performance	sick child, healthy child…this list could go on & on here…

10.  Both require teaching & learning.

11.  Both are frustrating.

12.  Both require financial planning:

retail	mama
staff salary, store hours, ordering supplies	grocery planning, coupons, activities

13.  Both require you to be socially extroverted:

retail	mama
customers, recruiting	moms’ groups, play dates

14.  Both require general safety knowledge & implementation:

retail	mama
providing a safe and clean store environment for employees & customers	putting up safety gates so that your toddler doesn’t plummet down the stairs & monitors so that you can hear & aid when your child plummets from their bed –there is a lot of plummeting going on ;)

15.  Both supervise and control merchandise & stock:

retail	mama
clothing & supply inventory	food, household goods, & clothing inventory

16.  Both require you to coach, counsel, and discipline.

17.  Both require you to plan, monitor, and appraise job results:

retail	mama
completing a floor set	completing a floor puzzle

18.  Both require patience….need I say more?

19.  Both require a thick skin when it comes to…let’s just call it “bodily functions”:

retail	mama
peed on clothes in fitting room, leftover sanitary napkins in fitting rooms, gum under seats & on walls, boogers on fitting room walls & doors (just to name a retail few-I think you get the nasty retail picture)	poop, pee, snot, dirt, play-doh, food…you name it, I’ve seen it!

20.  Both require knowledge in recruiting, selecting, and orienting:

retail	mama
staff	preschools, moms’ groups, parks, playgrounds

21.  Both require you to issue corrective actions:

retail	mama
write-ups	time-outs

22.  Both require you to balance many things at once (literally & figuratively).

23.  Both require you to meet someone else’s needs first & leave little time for YOU:

retail	mama
the screaming customer	the screaming children

24.  Both require quick thinking:

retail	mama
shoplifter	two-year old holding a permanent marker

25.  Both jobs require you to hang, size, & fold clothes…UGH!

26.  Both groups of people under you (your employees/your children) find you annoyingly overbearing and “want to do it themselves” without your help or hovering!

27.  Both require you to tell…”little.white.lies”…(I may, or may not, have told these falsities ;):

retail	mama
those jeans look fabulous on you!	sorry, honey, the chocolate bunnies are all gone!

And you know what, with all that being said…being a SAHM for me is the most important and rewarding job in the world; My proof is my kids!  And although this blog is very tongue-in-cheek, and it took me awhile to be at peace with this vocation, I would not want it any other way.  I am completely grateful & happy that I have the opportunity to do this.