Here is a reprint of a Dear Abby column:

Recently, a man ran a stop sign, rammed my car and left me with a broken back. From that I learned what a dim view insurance companies have of homemakers. When asked if I was losing time at work, I answered with an honest “yes.”Then came the question, “What do you do?” When I replied that I am a housewife, I learned there was no coverage because what I do isn’t considered “work.”

Abby’s answer goes on to explain how the founder of USA Today wrote an article on the value of stay-at-home moms concluding that stay-at-home moms work “an average of 91.6 hours a week … worth $143,121 annually” based on their roles as housekeeper, laundry machine operator, janitor, computer operator, facilities manager, psychologist, and family CEO.

Of course, from a legal point of view, Abby’s answer falls far short. The question really is what is her lost earning capacity and how much did they have to pay to replace her. In other words, she could make a claim by hiring someone to do all the work she does and asking for reimbursement.