WOW, think of how much more we could provide for our kidos if someone would pay us!

[Guest guest]

BOSTON — If a stay-at-home mom could be compensated in dollars rather than

personal satisfaction and unconditional love, she'd rake in a nifty sum of

nearly $117,000 a year.

That's according to a pre-Mother's Day study released Thursday by Salary.com, a

Waltham, Mass.-based firm that studies workplace compensation.

The eighth annual survey calculated a mom's market value by studying pay levels

for 10 job titles with duties that a typical mom performs, ranging from

housekeeper and day care center teacher to van driver, psychologist and chief

executive officer.

This year, the annual salary for a stay-at-home mom would be $116,805, while a

working mom who also juggles an outside job would get $68,405 for her motherly

duties.

One stay-at-home mom said the six-figure salary sounds a little low.

" I think a lot of people think we sit and home and have a lot of fun and don't

do a lot of work, " said , a Fremont, N.H., mother who left her

job as pastry chef to raise two boys, ages 2 and 4. " But they should try

cleaning their house with little kids running around and messing it up right

after them. "

The biggest driver of a mom's theoretical salary is the amount of overtime pay

she'd receive for working more than 40 hours a week. The 18,000 moms surveyed

about their typical week reported working 94.4 hours _ meaning they'd be

spending more than half their working hours on overtime.

Working moms reported an average 54.6 hour " mom work week " besides the hours

they spent at paying jobs.

agreed her job as a stay-at-home mom is more than full-time. But she

said her " job " brings intangible benefits she wouldn't enjoy in the workplace.

" The rewards aren't monetary, but it's a reward knowing that they're safe and

happy, " said of her sons. " It's worth it all. "

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Blessings

Jack, Cheryl and Kile Killman

www.myspace.com/cherylkillman

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning how to dance

in the rain. "