SAHM-It's What I Do

Let me say upfront that I have no desire to stir up a debate over stay at home moms versus those that work.  I know that it can be a sensitive topic.  But no matter which hat you wear {and I’ve worn both} we are all entitled to vent from time to time.

Yes, I know I’m incredibly blessed and fortunate to be a stay at home mom. But it wasn’t something we planned...the decision was kind of made for us. When I was out on maternity leave with Henry, the company I was working for at the time up and moved their office about 45 minutes further away from the half hour commute I was already making each way and the pay just didn’t justify me spending 2 ½ hours in the car every day. So when my maternity leave was up, I stayed home.

I just wanted to put that out there. I was never the girl who dreamed of running the carpool and baking cookies for the preschool bake sale. {Although I happily did both today} I always pictured myself as more of a career woman but sometimes life, as they say, is what happens when you are busy making other plans.  

Don’t get me wrong, I never thought for a second that being a stay at home parent would be easy. But even so I had idyllic images in my head about how it was going to be. I would take the kids to the library and perhaps the farmers market. I’d take Caroline to Kindermusik until time to pick up Henry from preschool. Then, we’d sneak in some time at the park until it was time to go home and whip up a healthy dinner with our fresh produce. And the house! The house would be so clean and organized!

Yep, I was going to be different than all of the other stay at home moms who always seem slightly frazzled. And all of the “me” time I was going to get while both babies napped in the afternoon sounded like the cherry on top.

On second thought, maybe I’m not so different from all those other moms after all.

Let’s start with the house. Our house is always a complete disaster. There are toys in places that I didn’t even know there could be. There are piles of crap on every flat surface and I think if a neighbor were to pop by unexpectedly, I would die.

I also didn’t realize how different the kids’ schedules would be. Between school drop-offs and pick-ups, homework, and the baby napping twice a day, there really isn’t much time left for fun activities.

And then there’s the boredom. While I love spending time with each of my children, sometimes I miss the day to day interaction with other adults. I went from a job in sales where I talked to people for a living to having conversations with my toddler about poop while watching Dora for the 13th time.  Sometimes it can all get a little monotonous.

And dear God — the laundry!  I fantasize about donating all our clothes to Goodwill so I don’t have to fold another load of wash.

But all griping aside, there are some pretty incredible perks that come with this job. I enjoy having the freedom to plan my day around the needs of my family. Because I missed so much of Anna’s first years while I was working full time, I have cherished being here for all of the babies’milestones.  I get to wipe away tears and kiss skinned knees. And I love how Henry’s face lights up when he spots my car in the carpool line.  And then there’s this little blog in my life that I never would have seen coming but I love that occasionally, I get a few free moments in the afternoon to sit down and pour my heart into it.

For me, being a SAHM has definitely been a mixed bag. Some days I feel like the luckiest girl in the world and sometimes I dream of going back to work.  For me, it definitely hasn’t been all sunshine and roses but for now, it’s what I do.