I noticed this morning at the gym a poster that was focusing on a 'success story' for weight loss.  I chuckled to myself as I read the caption, " Rita, Full Time Mom" When I got back to my computer, I googled "full time mother" and got over 75 million hits on my search. So now I'm left wondering, when is being a mom not a full time job? Apparently a woman who works is not considered a full time mom, even if she's a single parent and raises her children 100% by herself.
      In recent months,as a stepmother,  I was a weekends only stepmom, plain and simple. I accepted this title as I had not given birth, I had not brought the child into the world.  I was, for all practical purposes, a part timer. Now that we have full custody, I consider myself a full time custodial StepMom. Yes, I work, but there is still nothing part time about being a custodial stepmom.
       For women who have children, whether they raise them or not, they are still a mother.  But a 'full time mother'? It seems without saying, that's a fancy way of describing a "Stay At Home Mom".  I believe all mothers are full time mothers.  You give birth, you adopt a child, you are a mother.  Unless drastic steps are taken to waive parental rights, you are a mother.  Regardless of whether you work outside the home or not, a mother is a mother.  Does this mean I should add 'full time wife' or ' full time daughter' to my bio? Perhaps the title is supposed to indicate that while a woman is at her job she is no longer a mother? That's a bit hard to swallow.
        Even on weekends only, there was no part time dedication to being a stepmother. Just as there's most likely no such thing as a part time dedication to a child one gives birth to. A woman may have a job, or even two, but that certainly doesn't mean she can't also be a parent, does it? The term “ Full Time Parent” indicates that once a mother goes to work, she is no longer a mother. I can't think of any mother's who would agree with that theory. Any mother will tell you whether they work outside the home or not, there's never anything part time about it.