At the end of June 2020 I transitioned into my new role as a stay at home mom (SAHM). This decision was one of the hardest yet best decisions I’ve made in my journey as a new mom. My daughter was about 6 months old when the change took place. Thanks to COVID-19 and maternity leave my transition was rather seamless. My little one (LO) had no real experience of being away from me - rather I had no real experience being away from her - on a day to day basis. I’m sure in her little mind nothing really changed, right?
Anyway, my greatest thought partner during this process of deciding to stay with my job at the time or becoming a SAHM was my husband. He helped me weigh the pro’s and con’s of both options. We discussed questions like…
What will I gain? What will I lose? What are my goals? Which option aligns me with my goals?
Ultimately, in my heart, I knew I wanted to be a full-time mother in this season. I wanted to embrace motherhood and my baby as much as possible. I mean, hey, she’s only a baby but for so long!
Through all the joys of this decision, I also knew this wasn’t going to be easy as I had questions, fears and doubts that I needed to address. Such as…
What will I do all day outside of being a wife and a mom? Will I lose myself? How will I meet my own needs and desires?
I have found that one of the joys of being a SAHM is planning your own schedule. If I want to connect with others whether it’s family, friends, former co-workers, etc. all I have to do is reach out and schedule it. Connecting with people keeps me grounded, humble and aware that there’s more in life than what I see daily. Keeping my LO on a daily schedule allows me to schedule things like phone calls or outings more easily. Another joy of being a SAHM is being flexible for my husband’s schedule. There are times where he may have a late work evening so he will rearrange his day to spend time with me (and with our LO) earlier in the day since he won’t be available in the evening. Family time and even mommy/daddy time is extremely important to us. It allows us time to bond, communicate and to stay connected. I never would have thought becoming a SAHM would be a win-win for everyone. One last joy I’ll share is exploring myself. There are times where I have down time because my LO is resting and my husband is working so I find myself looking for things to work on. I started exploring things I love but hadn’t worked on in such a long time such as painting, writing and reading. It also gave me more time to focus on my hair and my health.
I think it’s safe to say, I enjoy being a SAHM! I understand that with anything you do it always comes with it’s own challenges. There are definitely days I feel worn out mentally, physically or emotionally. However, remembering why I become a SAHM in the first place refuels me. This time with her is so precious and she’ll be grown and out of the house before I know it.
