If you ask people what they think about stay-at-home moms, you will likely get a lot of different opinions. Not all of those opinions will be positive. I am a mom with a disability that prevents me from working full time, so working mom life was likely never in the cards for me, but I fully embrace the time I get at home with my little one. There are so many advantages to staying at home if it is possible for your family but being a stay-at-home parent is not without sacrifices. There are some things I wish I knew before starting my stay-at-home mom journey.
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The first I’ve learned is that even though I don’t have a traditional job, my days are rarely easy. I have a degree in early childhood education and thought that after managing a whole classroom of children, taking care of one child would be a breeze. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Fulfilling every need of a tiny human from 5:30AM until 7:30PM is significantly more difficult than teaching a classroom of preschool aged children. When I worked part time at a preschool, I was able to help children learn and keep them safe, but those are not the most difficult part of the days. At home, I find that the additional responsibilities such as dishes, laundry, and errands tend to take over the day and it takes skill and practice to balance fun time and house work.
The next thing I learned is that stay-at-home mom life is full of inconsistencies. One day, we go to the park, read a dozen books, and practice math skills. The next day, we might eat cold pizza for breakfast and watch way too much YouTube. Consistency is important for young children, so I really do try to stick to a daily schedule, but each day is a new adventure.
The last thing I want to share is that even though being a stay-at-home mom was the best, and really only, decision for my family, it still took a while for me to make peace with it. I occasionally still feel envious that my husband gets to go out into the world each day. I love my child fiercely, but some days I do not love being at home all day and that’s okay. After all, I don’t think there is a person out there who loves every single second of their life.
A lot of people will say that staying at home with your children is the ultimate privilege, and in some ways, it is, but there are also a lot of challenges as well! I’d love to hear from my fellow stay-at-home moms out there! What is your favorite part of being a SAHM? What is the most challenging part for you?