Friday, April 15, 2005

Why I hate to do my taxes

It has nothing to do with owing money to the government or trying to figure out the tax forms. I hate paying taxes because when you sign the back, you have to put your occupation. Since I am not paid for any of the work I do, my occupation reads "Housewife." This isn't a feminist diatribe against being "married to my house." I just don't want the government to think my most important job is keeping house because, honestly, I suck at it.

My house is not a fire hazard or a threat to public health, but it's not exactly taken care of with wifely devotion, either.

The work that occupies most of my time is Mother. That's where I do my best work. And you'd think being a mother is contributing far more to the well being of the country than being a housewife. But for some reason, this is not an acceptable occupation as far as the IRS is concerned. Go figure.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

No respect for the most difficult job on earth: full time mothering and housekeeping. If you were paid market rates for all you do, you'd be worth >$100,000 per year. Take pride, fellow mom!

FWIW, I have a *real* occupation and I'm good at it, too. But I get paid maybe minimum wage if I'm lucky. Not great for 8+ years of college...