Stay-at-home mom wins praise, itemized thanks from blogger husband

HOUSTON -- Steve Nelms, a blogger from Plano, Texas, has figured out, down to the dollar, how much he appreciates his stay-at-home wife, Glory.

"I thought it would be fun to write a post to see what that actually would equate to all the services that she does on a day-to-day basis," he said.

In a blog post titled "Fathers, You Can't Afford a Stay-at-home Mom," Nelms itemized every job his wife performs.

The total came to a whopping $73,960 per year.

The list included child care for their 2-year-old son, Ezra ($36,660), house cleaning ($5,200) and cooking ($12,480).

Nelms reached the conclusion that he really could not afford his wife if he weren't married to her and actually had to pay her for her services.

"It was meant to show my wife appreciation," he explained.

"It was hard to stay at home for a reason," said Glory. "It wasn't necessarily the workload. It was everything that came with losing that paycheck, losing that job, losing the connection with other people in the world."

Nelms' post has gone viral.

Some readers have responded with support: "I'd love for my nagging husband to read this. All he does is gripe for me to get a job."

Another writes, "It's supposed to be a partnership, with each contributing equally, not a place of employment...."

"It was simply a reflection of how our family dynamic works," said Stephen.

"I'm not going to say one has it easier than the other," said Glory. "I think it comes down to people."

It's a balancing act this couple does to create the most opportunities possible for their little one.