One husband wants the world to know exactly what his wife means to him. So, he recently penned an essay commending her for all she does as a stay-at-home wife. According to the Daily Mail , Steven Nelms has captured the attention of thousands with his brilliantly worded essay explaining why he could never afford his wife, Gloriana, as a stay-at-home mom. He begins the essay with a disclaimer explaining the purpose of his essay. He immediately offered clarity about the basis of his essay, to clarify that he has no intentions of belittling the demanding role of a stay-at-home mom.
“I don’t at all mean to offend anyone with this post,” Nelms wrote. “I’d like to explain exactly what that means so that no one thinks I’m in any way devaluing Stay-At-Home Moms.”
The couple, who married three years ago, have a two-year-old son named Ezra. Needless to say, Gloriana stays busy. After their son was born, the dynamic of their lives changed. Nelms explained that they mutually agreed Gloriana, who has been working since the age of 14, would stay home with their son. Based on the cost of childcare, it only made sense for her to stay home with their son. Nelms explained that the adjustment was indeed a familial sacrifice — one that was quite a change for Gloriana, reports International Journal Review .
“With childcare costs it would’ve been a wash with her income at best,” he said. “So we decided that she would stay home as long as it made sense…It has always been part of her, especially since she began contributing to the financial needs of her family by 17 years old,” he wrote. “So getting a paycheck was a significant part of feeling valued and appreciated for all the hard work she did to provide for herself and help her family.”
Because of the daily sacrifices she makes for him and his son, he decided to show his appreciation for all she does
“My wife stays home and takes care of our son every single day,” he said. “She changes his diapers, feeds him, plays with him, puts him down for his nap, and comforts him when he’s upset. And that’s just the bare minimum. Obviously, this is part of being a parent. You take care of your child and you raise your child. But let’s face it. In our day and age … there is a company ready and willing to do just about anything. So while, yes, my wife is my son’s mother and it is a natural result of being a parent to love and care for your own child, there is also a very quantifiable dollar amount that can be attributed to the services rendered.”
He even went a step further to explain just how much he appreciates his wife’s work. Nelms included a detailed breakdown of the occupational earnings of those who are employed to do all of the things his wife does out of love at no cost. To pay her for cooking, cleaning, childcare, housekeeping and concierge services, it would cost him a whopping $73,000 — something he could not afford to pay her.
“Remember, we’re working with extremely conservative averages here,” he added. “5 hours a week on financial services, 4 hours per business dinner (about 3 a year), and a weekly laundry service and the total salary for the work that Glory does comes to $73,960.”
“Looking objectively at an almost insultingly conservative average of the services rendered, I cannot afford my wife,” he concluded. “In a very weird way, this is my way of saying how much I value my wife as the mother of my child and the one who always has my back no matter what,” he said. “You are more precious than rubies. And I can’t afford you.”
The essay, which was initially posted on Nelms’ site We Are Glory . Now, the moving essay has been reported on several media and news outlets and posted via social media by thousands of users.
[Image(s) via Facebook ]