I am a powerful woman

Stay at home moms make very little mark on the world.

At one point in time or another, we surely have all come across someone who holds fast to that belief.

Moms that choose not to maintain careers are easily underestimated - possibly even dismissed by those who view them as women failing to live up to their full potential by opting to keep their skills and aptitudes largely within the walls of their own homes, rather than honing them toward the goal of accomplishing a greater, more worthy impact. They may feel that the scope of an at home mother's influence is minuscule. That the breadth of her reach is undoubtedly, virtually, sadly, inconsequential. Her work, tending to the care of her children's affairs is mostly insignificant. It's a shame she won't do something with herself, she could have been so much more...

It is when I look into my children's faces as I speak to them, offering words that will build them up or tear them down, that I know it is not wise to underestimate people like me. I hold impressionable, fragile, trusting hearts in my hands. In their eyes, I have the authority to accept or reject - to edify or condemn. I can crush spirits. I can esteem. I can criticize. I can validate. I can break. I can mend. I can nitpick. I can encourage. I can squelch. I can set their sights on soaring. I can help them realize their potential. I can neglect. I can make excuses. I can invest.
I will send them out into the world. For better or worse, they will make a splash.

My choices are of tremendous significance.

I am a nurturer of souls. A keeper of secrets. A rocker of babies. A guard of hearts. A disciplinarian of behaviors. A teacher of academics. A guide of consciences. An advisor of matters. A builder of character.  I am one who trains, admonishes, instructs, directs, listens, accepts, understands, cares like none other, loves truly unconditionally. No matter what.

Day by day, hour by hour, situation by situation, I provide a living example - one I would like them to emulate or leave far behind.

The world at large may not know me at all, but my children do.

To them, I am indeed a powerful woman.