It’s been a year. I really can’t believe it. One whole year that I’ve been at this stay-at-home mom thing. It’s my stay-at-home momiversary.You may think it sounds cliché but it really seems like just yesterday that I was freaking out about having a screaming newborn and demanding toddler on my hands. Fast forward one year and now I have two demanding toddlers on my hands with a little less freaking out…well, at least sometimes!
When I signed up for this stay-at-home mom thing part of me thought it would be easier than it really is some days. I mean, really, stay at home and just take care of your own kids, piece of cake, right? Not so much. This gig is no joke. You are on call 24/7 with no sick, personal, or vacation days. I really thought I would have more free time than I do. It seems like I have less somehow. I thought my house would be forever clean because I would be here more often to clean it. I thought I would transform into some kind of Martha Stewart with decorations to die for and dinners to drool over. Guess what? My house is still a mess, if not messier. The decorations haven’t changed and the dinners are the same crap we’ve always eaten. So, perhaps I failed in those areas. But, I think I succeeded in some others that are more important like being able to feel proud that my three year-old knows her letters because I am the one who taught her before her teachers ever did. And the fact that she is becoming a puzzle whiz and loves to look at books.
But, I would be lying if I didn’t admit there are days that I do miss the daily routine of getting up and going to work and interacting with people over the age of three. There are days I miss driving in my car alone without answering 20,000 questions. But, there are also many more days that I enjoy play dates, story hour at the library, strolls on the beach, and many other activities that I know I wouldn’t be able to do as freely as I do now, and for that I am grateful.
As a SAHM, you have bosses who can be so demanding and relentless that you sometimes want to cry. And guess what? There’s no cash money paycheck or 401K! What kind of job is this? It’s the kind of job that pays in “I love you’s” and hugs and kisses and things like “Mom, I want to be just like you.” You might not be able to take that to the bank or save up to buy a condo in Boca when you’re 70, but the payoff is far greater.