Table from Insure.com
If you are a stay at home mom, how many times have you felt unappreciated? If you had to pay someone to do all of the chores that you do in a given day, how much would it cost? Transportation, cooking, cleaning, childcare, healthcare coordinator, nurse, beautician, stylist, tutor, coach, personal shopper, party planner, hostess, the list goes on.
Those of us who spent years in the workforce know the motivation that comes with getting a paycheck, a positive employee review, compliments on a job well done. These kinds of motivators are in short supply when you spend your days doing what those around you take for granted that you should be doing. Expressing appreciation to someone for doing tasks that are expected of them is usually not on the daily radar.
Every year Insure.com calculates a Mother’s Day Index to try and quantify how much money a mother’s work deserves. They do this for the purpose of encouraging families to buy life insurance for the mothers in their lives, in case any unforeseen tragedy should happen. Last year’s index said the average monetary worth of a mother’s work is $65,284.
This morning, I read an article about the tragic death of a young 28 year old mother of three from Lakewood. The young mother lost control of her vehicle and crashed with her 1 year old baby girl who was strapped in her car seat behind her. Fortunately, the baby was saved with minor injuries, however, her poor mother died at the scene of the accident.
What struck me about this horrific situation is that it sounds like this young mother was a kollel wife who supported her family. She and her family had recently moved to a different area in Lakewood when the crash occurred. There is a GoFundMe campaign on behalf of her orphaned children (I encourage anyone who is so inclined to donate).
I have seen fund raisers on behalf of orphans, but usually this applies to families where either both parents or the fathers are niftar. I suppose that’s because in my circles it’s usually the father who is the main breadwinner. For example, while my husband and I both have life insurance, my husband has the larger policy because he is the one who is bringing in our income. My insurance is meant to cover the expenses of the household duties that I now provide, but would need to be paid for in the event of my untimely demise.
The Lakewood tragedy brings home that the women of that community need to have adequate life insurance coverage so that their families can survive if, God forbid, something should ever happen to them. It goes without saying that a mother’s value goes infinitely beyond her financial worth. Yet how much more indispensable is her life when she is the sole provider for all of the physical comforts and necessities of her family? May this young mother’s family find comfort and the strength to move forward.
