The Making of a Stay at Home Mom

Becoming a stay-at-home mom is something I never considered and certainly never thought I'd do. This changed when my first child was born eight weeks premature. She stayed in the hospital for weeks, even after I was discharged. When she was finally released, we were advised and encouraged by the neonatalogist and pediatrician to not put her in daycare.

Even after the recommendation, I was still planning to go back to work. I thought that there was no way we could afford for me to stay at home. Plus, I had no interest in being the "1950s" housewife and stay-at-home mom.

In my mind, I was torn by the fact that while I was working, strangers would be watching my child. They would get to see her firsts and I would just be told about them! I did not want to miss out watching my little one grow up!

I contacted my employer of three years to let them know when I was coming back. I was thrown a curve ball when I was told that my position had been changed from full-time to part-time. Even if I did go back to work, I would have lost all the benefits that came with working full-time and let's face it, there is no part-time daycare.

I had some important decisions to make. I had been working full-time ever since I graduated from college ten years prior. I had to think if I wanted to find another job so I could go back to work or stay at home. We did some figuring and made a pro and con list. We took my old salary and subtracted the expense of daycare. I did not feel it was worth my time to spend forty hours a week working and not bring home as much money as I was before. Then, I also considered the work-related expenses that I would not have to pay anymore like the expense for parking in the garage of the building I worked in, gas back and forth to work, lunches out, purchasing and maintaining work clothing and many more.

This made us realize that it may be best for me to stay at home, so we decided that I would try being a stay-at-home mom. After the initial shock, I got into a groove and got used to it. It was difficult to get dressed when I was not required to be anywhere.

There is so much to be done that there is never time to be bored. We have discovered some fun things to do outside of the house, like story time at our local library, classes like Gymboree or Little Gym, going to the park, playing outside in our own backyard, doing art projects and working on some educational things like learning ABCs, so they will be prepared when the time for school arrives.

There are a few drawbacks. Essentially, being a stay-at-home mom is a 24 hour, 7 day a week job. You are always on duty! There is no monetary pay. You do not get sick days. Some people look down on you and refer to you as "just" a stay-at-home mom, no matter what education level you have achieved.

Sometimes being a stay-at-home mom does get exhausting, but it is well worth it to spend this special time with my children!