Being a stay-at-home mom was one of those things I never thought I would do. I honestly thought that it was only for people who had so much money, I didn’t spend a moment thinking about it despite my husband mentioning it several times during my 1st pregnancy.

You see, my husband was a single dad when we met, so he had an idea, and first hand experience with childcare and working full time. I just couldn’t see myself at home all the time with a baby, so I kept insisting that I would make it work.

All that changed 4 weeks after T was born, my then job had already started calling me to let me know that my maternity leave was ending in a week. I started feeling overwhelmed, and panic but I was still determined to figure out childcare options that would work with my work schedule. I was shocked to find out that almost all the childcare centers in my area were full or opened later than I wanted. There just wasn’t an option that I was comfortable with

I finally decided to be a Stay at home mom, I didn’t know what to expect. For a moment there I thought I would be so bored, I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. Haha that was so silly.

Four years later and and one more baby later, I have finally come to appreciate where I am in life and I learned a lot of lessons in my time as a stay at home mom Here are 7 things I’ve learned:

  1. It is a job like no other- You still wake up early, plan the day around naps, make sure kids are fed, dressed, and taken care of. Then there’s laundry, cooking, and all the other house chores and managing.
  2. It can get isolating and lonely – in this day and age when it feels like everyone has their job and their side hustles to show off. It can be so hard to be a SAHM. People just assume you are lazy or your husband must have a ton of money. This might be the case for others but it’s definitely not mine.
  3. The Mom guilt doesn’t go away – I hate that Mom guilt likes to creep up on all moms no matter what. That feeling like you are not doing enough is especially worse when you are home with your kids. Society makes you believe that it is the best thing you can do, so you should be grateful. This only makes it worse. You still worry about things like am I ruining my children’s chances of socializing with other kids? Or should I be doing xyz with them.
  4. If it works for you and your family, you don’t have to justify it to anyone. Period!!! I have felt the need to do this way too many times myself till I realized, I don’t need to seek validation from anyone ever.
  1. You sacrifice way more than your paycheck- I used to think staying home with kids would be just about the paycheck I wasn’t bringing home but it’s much more than that, you can’t just pass by the grocery store anymore, adult conversations are a thing of the past and Sometimes you can’t even hear yourself think. Yes that’s a thing. It can also get lonely and isolating, so if you know any stay at home moms please check on them
  2. Last but not least, the days really do go by so fast. In between the screaming, parks, libraries and busyness that goes on everyday, the kids do grow. I just had a realization this past week that T will be starting Pre- k this year *insert tears here* like seriously where did the time go?

In conclusion, being a mom is a learning journey,it is hard and messy and beautiful all at the same time. Being a mom is hard, so whether you are a stay-at-home mom or a working mom. Let’s learn to give each other grace as we learn and grow in our roles.