I haven't worked since the end of 2002.
11 years.
I quit when I was having difficulty getting pregnant (oh, the stress! ) and when oldest was born prematurely, it was a good thing I had wanted to be a SAHM. The nicu visits, the dr apts, the therapies..it was a full time job and then some.
Then youngest came along and well, I enjoyed the mom thing. I was good at it ~although come 6pm you can bet I threw a kid (or two) at dear husband when he walked in the door.
The days were long and bedtime at times could not come soon enough. (I miss them being unable to tell time so I could lie about bedtime)
Fast forward 7 years and I have two kids in school.
Full time.
The joy!
Time for target and pedicures and meeting friends for lunch and retail therapy and ...
okay, its not all glamorous. It's not like I'm sitting around the house watching soaps and eating bon bons all day. I did stuff.
I volunteered.
PTO for years, charity work, not to mention the basic house stuff and well..it was all good.
Until it wasn't.
Until I had TOO much time on my hands.
Wait, what?
Too much time? Are you kidding me? Who complains about too much time?
I admit, it sounds absurd.
But the truth of the matter is, the grass is always greener.
It was getting depressing.
I was eating.
I was thinking too much about my boredom and anxiety struck it's ugly cord.
So there I was, eating, and feeling anxious, and getting somewhat depressed because I was bored (Target and retail therapy is only fun for a short amount of time)
I had vowed to exercise daily and become fit and hot but ..well, yea..that didnt happen so much.
So 11 years and a few days, I'm working.
It's a whole different ballgame working as a Mom.
You're rushing to get home and when you're home you're doing stuff like rushing to get laundry done, dinner on the table, checking homework, reading with your kid, cleaning the house, taking out the dog, and peeing (sometimes you need to make time for that stuff)
So I went from having all the time in the world to little time.
It's not that it's hard or bad or sucky, it just takes adjusting.
But I feel purposeful (not that being a SAHM isnt purposeful because honestly, that job is way harder than waking up and going to an office every day)
But I feel productive in a different way (maybe because I'm getting money?)
I'm getting up and getting dressed and putting on grown up clothes (and heels. Didnt miss them so much)
So, is the grass greener? Is it better to be a SAHM or a working mom?
There's no right or wrong.
There's not good or bad mom.
There's no harm in either. No one is doing any lifelong damage to your kids if you're home with them or if you're working. Either way, you're still the same Mom. You still love your kid to death.
You're just fitting in your trips to Target a little bit differently.
11 years.
I quit when I was having difficulty getting pregnant (oh, the stress! ) and when oldest was born prematurely, it was a good thing I had wanted to be a SAHM. The nicu visits, the dr apts, the therapies..it was a full time job and then some.
Then youngest came along and well, I enjoyed the mom thing. I was good at it ~although come 6pm you can bet I threw a kid (or two) at dear husband when he walked in the door.
The days were long and bedtime at times could not come soon enough. (I miss them being unable to tell time so I could lie about bedtime)
Fast forward 7 years and I have two kids in school.
Full time.
The joy!
Time for target and pedicures and meeting friends for lunch and retail therapy and ...
okay, its not all glamorous. It's not like I'm sitting around the house watching soaps and eating bon bons all day. I did stuff.
I volunteered.
PTO for years, charity work, not to mention the basic house stuff and well..it was all good.
Until it wasn't.
Until I had TOO much time on my hands.
Wait, what?
Too much time? Are you kidding me? Who complains about too much time?
I admit, it sounds absurd.
But the truth of the matter is, the grass is always greener.
It was getting depressing.
I was eating.
I was thinking too much about my boredom and anxiety struck it's ugly cord.
So there I was, eating, and feeling anxious, and getting somewhat depressed because I was bored (Target and retail therapy is only fun for a short amount of time)
I had vowed to exercise daily and become fit and hot but ..well, yea..that didnt happen so much.
So 11 years and a few days, I'm working.
It's a whole different ballgame working as a Mom.
You're rushing to get home and when you're home you're doing stuff like rushing to get laundry done, dinner on the table, checking homework, reading with your kid, cleaning the house, taking out the dog, and peeing (sometimes you need to make time for that stuff)
So I went from having all the time in the world to little time.
It's not that it's hard or bad or sucky, it just takes adjusting.
But I feel purposeful (not that being a SAHM isnt purposeful because honestly, that job is way harder than waking up and going to an office every day)
But I feel productive in a different way (maybe because I'm getting money?)
I'm getting up and getting dressed and putting on grown up clothes (and heels. Didnt miss them so much)
So, is the grass greener? Is it better to be a SAHM or a working mom?
There's no right or wrong.
There's not good or bad mom.
There's no harm in either. No one is doing any lifelong damage to your kids if you're home with them or if you're working. Either way, you're still the same Mom. You still love your kid to death.
You're just fitting in your trips to Target a little bit differently.
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