I never thought there’d be a day when I felt a 9 to 5 was more of a vacation until AFTER I became a stay at home mom!
For those of us who are proud members of this troupe, we have chosen to stay at home to raise our babies and fully commit our days to nurturing our families. I thought it was a great idea. My mom did it. She stayed with us until we were in kindergarten. What I didn’t factor in is that she lived around her family (support), and she had older kids to help out a little.
Now before you take a mental dig at me, I’m not saying I regret being here with my babies. But I didn’t factor in the military, the moving, the lack of help, working hard to keep these tiny people alive and at the same time looking like a real person when my husband walks through the door!
For the record, I love my babies. There’s no other choice I would have made because during these foundational years, mama (me) wanted to set their course for life. I’m their first educator, teacher, friend, and guide! Got it?
Now that being said…I’M TIRED!!!
Can a sister get a nap or a spa day?? (I’m not kidding. Somebody send me a gift card lol)
There’s mental exhaustion, physical fatigue, and emotional drain. It gets SO challenging sometimes that hearing the word “breathe” is like an epiphany.
It’s obvious some people think SAHM’s are generally lazy and indulging. Sleeping in, watching tv, shopping, going to lunch, styling the kids in cute clothes, spending lots of time on pinterest and coming up with a beautiful meal for dinner.
What we actually do:
- wake up to crying or whining
- make breakfast
- break up the fight over who gets which color spoon
- make up beds
- potty train
- teach alphabets
- watch Dora the Explorer
- make snacks
- get groceries
- drive them to the library
- play dates
- park trips
- stopping tantrums
- house cleaning
- change diapers
- enforce naps
Wait there’s more…
- washing bottles
- keeping them from hurting themselves
- keeping them alive
- preparing dinner
- bath time
- nighttime stories
OH, and the big thing is that you don’t get the weekend off! Totally glamorous right?!
During one of our “transitions” we were able to spend 6 months close to home. I decided to take on a part time job because of having family support on hand. Those three days a week that I worked literally felt like I was on the beach compared to everything my typical day requires. I was actually RESTING at work!
But I missed my babies.
I was wondering what they were learning that I might be missing. What things they were doing for the first time? I wanted to see them make silly faces and hear what crazy thing would come out of their mouth next!
See in spite of all the challenges that come with it, I still want to be there. I want those stories and memories for when they grow up.
Nothing I’ve ever done compares in difficulty to being a SAHM. YES, it is hard work. The hardest I’ve ever done. But it’s worth it.
