Becoming a SAHM - Trials, Tribulations, and Rewards

I always thought I would be a stay at home mom. I never thought I would keep working after our daughter was born. I've always heard "Never, say never". Let me start with several years back before my daughter was born. I had found the perfect job. Do you know how hard that is to come by?

The commute - about a mile and a half. The boss - couldn't have been a nicer guy, excellent to work for and close relationship. The co-workers - wonderful, everyone was like family. We all worked together. The pay-couldn't even consider asking for more. It was way more than I expected. The job -also, perfect. I loved it and never wanted to leave. Another plus, my husband worked in the same building so we were sometimes able to spend time together at lunch.

As time went by, we decided it was time to start a family. Now time for the tough decisions. Forgot to mention that hubby is active duty and we lived on base.

Do I quit my job? Did I want to at that point, not really. Was our daughter more precious to us than everything else? - Absolutely. Did we need the money? Not really.

Well the way things worked for us, really was for the best. We were able to place her in a daycare center during the day that was located in that one and a half mile commute to work. I would visit with her during lunch and then pick her up directly after work. I couldn't get enough of her. She became and still is my constant companion.

Now, fast-forward a few years, it's now time for her to go to public school. We lived in a not so great county and knew that there was no way possible that we would throw her to the wolves so to speak in that school system. After much prayer and debate, we purchased a house off base that is an hour away and located in another state. Being that far away led me to quit my job so that I could be a stay at home mom. My husband still makes the commute. I'm so thankful for the time that I have with my daughter for I know it is time that I'll never have again. Instead of adult conversations I now have tea parties and play dress-up. Instead of paychecks I now receive hugs and kisses. Do I miss work - yes, but it's mostly the people I miss. Am I glad I became a stay-at-home mom? More than you'll ever know. I couldn't imagine my life any other way. The way I see it my rewards are so much greater now. Did I mention that I work ten times harder? Kudos, to all the moms with more than one child!