The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom: Stay at Home Moms Transform into Working Moms

Stay at Home Moms have the chance to switch roles and become a working Mom on TLC's new series The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom which airs on Monday nights at 7:00p.m. EST. I was intrigued by the show's description and found myself tuned into TLC to watch the premier episode. Being a stay at home Mom myself, or SAHM, for ten years I can understand what these women are going through. Here are my thoughts on the premiere episode and what it is like to be a stay at home Mom.

The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom, for those who aren't familiar with the show, is about giving stay at home Moms a chance to pursue the career they gave up for their family. These Moms secretly head off for a few days to work jobs related to the career path they were on before becoming stay at home Moms. Their families think that they are actually headed off to a spa for a much deserved break and aren't let in on the secret until the end of the show. Their spouse meanwhile gets to stay home with the children for three days to take care of the family in the Mom's absence.

In the first episode of The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom we met a Mom who had big dreams of becoming a fashion designer before she had her three daughters. Adrian Stark, the stay at home Mom, got the chance of a lifetime to work for a clothing company designing three dresses to be shown in front of buyers at an in studio fashion show. Adrian seemed thrilled to receive such an opportunity and even found happiness when one of the dresses she designed was worn by Jennifer Hudson.

When watching The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom it was nice to see the Dad struggle a bit to realize just how much work his wife put into taking care of the household. While not all stay at home Moms are domestic divas a majority of them are still hard working when it comes to taking care of their families. Sometimes their spouses do not understand or appreciate all of the work their stay at home partners do every day. My favorite part of the show regarding the Dad was hearing him tell his children thank you for being so good for me and enjoying a picnic outdoors with them. Even though stay at home Moms spend a lot of time with their children during the day, unless of course they are in school all day, it is still important for children to spend time with their Dads as well.

At the end of the show Adrian was presented with an opportunity to continue working as a fashion designer. Judging by Adrian Stark's husband reaction to the job opportunity I felt that Adrian would ultimately end up deciding to stay at home. I also felt that the many years of being a stay at home Mom would outweigh the few days she spent as a fashion designer and ultimately influence her to continue staying at home with her children. Adrian instead decided to take the job opportunity and end her career as a stay at home Mom (and yes, I consider it a career). While I thought she was going to continue staying at home I wasn't too shocked by her decision. The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom gave her an opportunity that was hard for her to refuse. The best part of her decision is that it seemed to make her happy and was a career that Adrian always wanted for herself. In the beginning of the show Adrian mentioned that she had never envisioned herself married with kids. This should have been an early indicator that she would choose to go back to work rather than stay home. I on the other hand could not have made the decision that she did.

Being a stay at home Mom isn't always a piece of cake. Sometimes it can be easy and sometimes it can be stressful. The easiest part of being a stay at home Mom to me is enjoying spending time with my children. My oldest two are in school now but I enjoyed the time I had with them while they were younger and currently enjoy my time spent with my baby. The hardest part of being a stay at home Mom is that everyone seems to think that you have all the time in the world to do everything, after all you are at home all day, right? Can you drop off the dry cleaning? Oh, and the movies are due back at the movie store. The books need to go back to the library or we'll pay a late fee. Can you iron my shirt? Fix the loose button on my jacket? Pick up my prescriptions from the pharmacy? Buy filters for the fish tank? Take the car in for an oil change? Meanwhile you need to do laundry because the kids have no socks, get the ingredients ready for dinner, buy groceries, do the dishes, clean the bathroom, and vacuum.

Still, I won't complain. I wouldn't trade my life as a stay at home Mom for anything else in this world. But for those who may be considering the switch, The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom on TLC may be just the inspiration that you need.