--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whether you work outside the home or not…" description: "\"Whether you work outside the home or not, never tell them [your children] that being a mommy is your 'job.' Being a mommy is a relationship, not a prof..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3be/barbara-ehrenreich-1204_being-a-mom_whether-you-work-outside-the-home-or-not_1217481.png" --- # Whether you work outside the home or not, never tell them… ![“Whether you work outside the home or not, never tell them [your children] that being a mommy is your 'job.' Being a mommy is a relationship, not a profession.” quote by Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3be/barbara-ehrenreich-1204_being-a-mom_whether-you-work-outside-the-home-or-not_1217481.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3be/barbara-ehrenreich-1204_being-a-mom_whether-you-work-outside-the-home-or-not_1217481.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3be/barbara-ehrenreich-1204_being-a-mom_whether-you-work-outside-the-home-or-not_1217481.png) > “Whether you work outside the home or not, never tell them \[your children\] that being a mommy is your 'job.' Being a mommy is a relationship, not a profession.” [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Motherhood is a relational role, not a job; it should not be framed as employment. **In simple terms:** Being a mom is a relationship, not a profession. Key Takeaway Recognize motherhood as relational, not occupational. Themes parenting identity gender roles Mood thoughtful empathetic Type advice social commentary When to use this quote - family discussions - policy debates - parenting workshops Key Concepts sociology family studies feminism Questions to Reflect On - How do you define your role as a parent? - What societal changes could better support mothers? A Different Perspective Treating motherhood as a job can undervalue emotional labor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being a mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-a-mom/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children Mommy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-mommy-2323618/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Job Mommy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job-mommy-1326553/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Mommy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mommy/) [Mommy Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mommy-job-3715482/) [Mommy Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mommy-relationship-3715483/) [Our children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-children/) [Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profession/) [Work out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-out/) [Your children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-children/) ## Related quotes > [My first and most important job is being a mommy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-giudice/my-first-and-most-important-job-is-being-a-mommy/) [Teresa Giudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-giudice/) > [I would love to have children, as I am such a mommy. I have always been like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-fernandez/i-would-love-to-have-children-as-i-am-such-a-mommy-i-have-always-been/) [Jacqueline Fernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-fernandez/) > [You don't really know what your children are made of until the mommy engine of the family shuts down, and they are forced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yolanda-hadid/you-don-t-really-know-what-your-children-are-made-of-until-the-mommy/) [Yolanda Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yolanda-hadid/) > [“The problem is always being the children’s mommy, or the minister’s wife and never being myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/the-problem-is-always-being-the-children-s-mommy-or-the-minister-s/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [I never knew how much love my heart could hold until someone called me mommy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/i-never-knew-how-much-love-my-heart-could-hold-until-someone-called/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Take motherhood: nobody ever thought of putting it on a moral pedestal until some brash feminists pointed out, about a century ago, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/take-motherhood-nobody-ever-thought-of-putting-it-on-a-moral-pedestal/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [If you are a mother then you know the feeling of true love. Once you look into the eyes of your children you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandi-nowak/if-you-are-a-mother-then-you-know-the-feeling-of-true-love-once-you/) [Mandi Nowak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandi-nowak/) > [The mother of three notoriously unruly youngsters was asked whether or not she'd have children if she had it to do over again. 'Yes',…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-finkelstein/the-mother-of-three-notoriously-unruly-youngsters-was-asked-whether/) [David Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-finkelstein/) > [I’ve come to realize that being a mother makes me a better executive, because motherhood forces prioritization. Being a mom gives you so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/i-ve-come-to-realize-that-being-a-mother-makes-me-a-better-executive/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [My mother tried to kill me when I was a baby. She denied it. She said she thought the plastic bag would keep me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-monkhouse/my-mother-tried-to-kill-me-when-i-was-a-baby-she-denied-it-she-said/) [Bob Monkhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-monkhouse/) > [Say what you want about these girls, but it must be rough being a teen mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/say-what-you-want-about-these-girls-but-it-must-be-rough-being-a-teen/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My favorite thing about being a mom is just what a better person it makes you on a daily basis,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/my-favorite-thing-about-being-a-mom-is-just-what-a-better-person-it/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [I do think that despite my best efforts to resist it, I am now a grown-up. It's due to lots of very difficult decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-thompson/i-do-think-that-despite-my-best-efforts-to-resist-it-i-am-now-a-grown/) [Emma Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-thompson/) > [In many ways, being pregnant and working were more difficult than motherhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethenny-frankel/in-many-ways-being-pregnant-and-working-were-more-difficult-than/) [Bethenny Frankel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethenny-frankel/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) ## More by Barbara Ehrenreich > [Money does not bring happiness' - only the wherewithal, perhaps, to endure its absence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/money-does-not-bring-happiness-only-the-wherewithal-perhaps-to-endure/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Yes. I think the anti-Wal-Mart is Costco, which pays much better and has much better health benefits and which is profitable and offers low…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/yes-i-think-the-anti-wal-mart-is-costco-which-pays-much-better-and/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Jesus: a wine-guzzling vagrant and precocious socialist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/jesus-a-wine-guzzling-vagrant-and-precocious-socialist/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [ What would it mean in practice to eliminate all the 'negative people' from one's life \[as demanded by motivational speaker J.P. Maroney\]? 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And when we gave up making stuff, starting in the 1980s, we were left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/some-people-make-stuff-other-people-have-to-buy-it-and-when-we-gave/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [ “Robert Jackall’s book \[ Moral Mazes \] impressed on me that corporate dress serves a far more important function than mere body covering. “Proper… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/robert-jackall-s-book-moral-mazes-impressed-on-me-that-corporate/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [war is, in some not yet entirely defined sense, a self-replicating pattern of behavior, possessed of a dynamism not unlike that of living things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/war-is-in-some-not-yet-entirely-defined-sense-a-self-replicating/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Sometime in the eighties, Americans had a new set of 'traditional values' installed. ... the poor and the middle class were shaken down, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/sometime-in-the-eighties-americans-had-a-new-set-of-traditional/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Marriage probably originated as a straightforward food-for-sex deal among foraging primates. 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But it stands a fair chance of being destroyed by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/the-nation-was-not-founded-by-habitual-groupthinkers-but-it-stands-a/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [ “You might discover that, nationwide, America's food banks are experiencing 'a torrent of need which \[they\] cannot meet' and that, according to a survey… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/you-might-discover-that-nationwide-america-s-food-banks-are/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [My Turn is the distilled bathwater of Mrs. Reagan's life. 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It's due to lots of very difficult decisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-thompson/i-do-think-that-despite-my-best-efforts-to-resist-it-i-am-now-a-grown/) [Emma Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-thompson/) > [My favorite thing about being a mom is just what a better person it makes you on a daily basis,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/my-favorite-thing-about-being-a-mom-is-just-what-a-better-person-it/) [Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/) > [Say what you want about these girls, but it must be rough being a teen mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/say-what-you-want-about-these-girls-but-it-must-be-rough-being-a-teen/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My mother tried to kill me when I was a baby. She denied it. She said she thought the plastic bag would keep me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-monkhouse/my-mother-tried-to-kill-me-when-i-was-a-baby-she-denied-it-she-said/) [Bob Monkhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-monkhouse/) > [I’ve come to realize that being a mother makes me a better executive, because motherhood forces prioritization. Being a mom gives you so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-mayer/i-ve-come-to-realize-that-being-a-mother-makes-me-a-better-executive/) [Marissa Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-mayer/) > [The mother of three notoriously unruly youngsters was asked whether or not she'd have children if she had it to do over again. 'Yes',…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-finkelstein/the-mother-of-three-notoriously-unruly-youngsters-was-asked-whether/) [David Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-finkelstein/) > [If you are a mother then you know the feeling of true love. Once you look into the eyes of your children you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandi-nowak/if-you-are-a-mother-then-you-know-the-feeling-of-true-love-once-you/) [Mandi Nowak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandi-nowak/) > [I think most women these days can understand me juggling a career with being a mom because most of us do. I think I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bello/i-think-most-women-these-days-can-understand-me-juggling-a-career/) [Maria Bello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bello/) > [Being a mother is the hardest job on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/being-a-mother-is-the-hardest-job-on-earth/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Being a mom myself and it being a huge and important part of who I am, made it easier for me to play the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-toussaint/being-a-mom-myself-and-it-being-a-huge-and-important-part-of-who-i-am/) [Lorraine Toussaint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-toussaint/) > [Motherhood changes everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/motherhood-changes-everything/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) > [Being a mom has been my most important job to date, and I take my job very seriously, and I have a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-capshaw/being-a-mom-has-been-my-most-important-job-to-date-and-i-take-my-job/) [Jessica Capshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-capshaw/) > [I love every second of being a mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-aldridge/i-love-every-second-of-being-a-mom/) [Lily Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-aldridge/) [Browse all 266 Being a mom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-a-mom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whether you work outside the home or not, never tell them [your children] that being a mommy is your 'job.' 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