Mommy or Business Woman - Who Am I These Days?

I always considered myself a career oriented woman. I loved the rush of the business world and all that Corporate America had to offer. I did well early on in my career and was very driven. I knew that I wanted a family, but knew that I'd figure out the balance when the time came. I knew that I didn't want to work full time, but rather wanted desperately to figure out some sort of balance. Then the reality set in when I was pregnant that maybe I couldn't have it all and I needed to figure out what my career would be once my role of mommy started.

I have friends all over the spectrum--some who don't want children, some who work full time and have kids, some who are stay at home moms, and some who are somewhere in between like I am. I am a full time stay at home mom who is also making a go of a career working from home on a freelance basis. It doesn't matter what your chosen path is or how you've handled your arrangements, making it all work is tough. Somewhere in the midst of changing diapers and sporting a burp cloth it occurs to you that you may have lost a little of your own identity. For some that is just fine and for others this is a mind bending concept. I know that for me going from being very career oriented to very family oriented was a bit of a transition. I feel very lucky that I have the best of both worlds, and I recognize that. It's not everybody that gets to see everything her baby does that day and still works on her own terms. It's certainly not the career that I started out with, but it's very fulfilling and I am the happiest that I've ever been in my life.I think that no matter what your circumstances, you have to recognize that something will change. Whether it's your ability to juggle things or your adjustment to being home full time, your role will change once you become a mommy. No matter what you do you feel as if you are stretched in too many directions and that you wish you could give more to a certain area of your life. It's inevitable as a mommy, you just somehow learn to balance! Keeping your identity somehow and your head about you is important, and you just have to realize that you can't always get it all done. Somehow you learn to let some of the little things slide in exchange for a stroller ride with your baby or your need to take a conference call.I know that the adjustment to being a mommy is a tough one, but we all handle it and wouldn't trade it for the world. You have to figure out what is important to you. If you are somebody that will sacrifice anything to be home with your kids, then life as a stay at home mom is something that you learn to love. If you have to work or are just very career oriented, then you learn to love daycare and know that you are being a good mommy putting your baby in the best care possible. You make it all work somehow! I heard that over and over again when I was pregnant and stressing about how to make a work from home career work for me, and until you live it you don't see how true it is. Know that you're not alone, know that other mommies just like you are going through the same juggle and occasional identity crisis. No matter how tough it gets or how stressful the day, you have to look in your baby's eyes and remember what you are doing it all for. That's the most important role in your life and helps to shape your identity!