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My Life as a SAHM

Posted Wednesday, October 17, 2007 1:05 PM

When Wyatt was about nine months old, I decided it was time for me to stop working a full-time job, and to start my life as a full-time mom. It was a difficult decision for me: my mom taught me to go to the top school, get the top job, fight for the promotions in a career I loved, get the salary I deserved. But she never told me what to do with all that success when I had kids. I had gone back to work without blinking...but as the days went on and Wyatt grew older, I grew sadder that I wasn't there to be with him every day. I woke up one morning and resigned from my job. There went the salary, the dreams of buying a house in the near future....but I knew it was what I had to do.

The first few weeks were incredibly daunting. How could I jump into the local neighborhood SAHM social scene? What would I do all day long to keep myself sane? How was I going to make life interesting? Well, life with Wyatt has been anything but uninteresting: the joy I get from my relationship with him, the friends I've made in the playground and local hangouts, the time I get to deal with a different kind of stress (I'll take a tantrum over a project-gone-awry anyday) -- well, life as a SAHM is so much more rewarding than I ever could have imagined.

Don't get me wrong: it's not all fun and games. I have many days where I want to pull my hair out and where I cannot listen to one more Dora song. So, I thank heavens that I have been able to work out a part-time gig with my old job and some freelance projects in between to keep my brain going. My advice: If you can stay home, do it. You'll never regret the time you have to spend with your child. Just keep a part of your old life going....so you always have an escape. It's good for your self esteem, your marriage - not to mention your monthly budget.

What's your thoughts on being a SAHM vs. WM?

 

Posted by Nest Amy

Comments

re: My Life as a SAHM

I only work part-time.  I teach 2 college courses and take 2 PhD courses.  This adds up to about 10 hours a week away from home.  Of course, I need much more time than that to get things done, but it seems like no one gets that.  I'm still trying to keep a clean house, do laundry, grocery shop, grade papers and tests, writes papers, prepare lessons, and take care of a 4 month-old.  I really wish I could just SAH, but I'm obligated to my school right now and I know it will only get easier.  That said, I think that even when I finish my PhD I might not get a teaching job and just stay home.  People think I am crazy for that.  Why would I go to school for 10 years and not want to be a professor?  Especially considering I work in women's studies.  I guess it's about more than just a binary between working mom and stay at home mom.  I just want to follow my heart.  I want to be educated.  I want to be a mom.  Most of all, though, I want to be in charge of my own decisions.  That's true feminism - not what you call your career.

Posted by itsMsAlbin    Thursday, October 18, 2007 4:55 PM


re: My Life as a SAHM

I wanted to be a SAHM - always dreamed of it - but when the time came I couldn't commit to giving up my job.  So, I took the 'easier' road and took a one year leave of absence.  It's a daunting thing - to think that I worked for almost 7 years.  Worked my way up in a male-dominated company doing high powered consulting work and finally...finally started earning 6 figures.  Could I really just walk out on that?  The truth is - taking the LOA gives me the opportunity to go back if I want to.  It is my escape route.  But I LOVE SAH with my son.  He is 7.5 months now and no, it hasn't always been easy.  There are days where I stood in stores with a screaming baby wondering why I decided to do this...I could be at work dealing with adults not diapers.  But then I see my son every morning.  I am there when he wakes-up and when he goes to sleep.  I am there when he laughs...I can make him laugh!  He loves me and I love him.  I can't imagine NOT being here with him.  

So, my LOA still has 5 months to go.  Perhaps I will think about working part-time from home.  But I know in my heart that I can never (and wouldn't want to) go back to being that woman who works 60+ hours a week and travels the globe.  My son means so much more to me than any job or any salary ever could.

Posted by AprilWife    Friday, October 19, 2007 10:31 AM


re: My Life as a SAHM

Reading these responses crushes me as I sit here in my office. I am a working mom. I work 40 hours a week, away from my almost 9 month old. It has been hard and even harder when I sit and think about my time away from her. I look forward to weekends. I cherish my mornings - feeding, changing and playing with her before I leave for work. I cherish the evenings - dinner time, trying new foods, cranky time and fighting her to go to sleep. Then holding her as she sleeps, staring at her beautiful chubby cheeks, in complete amazement at how wonderful my life is with her in it. It is very hard to be away from her, but the times I get to spend with her are so enjoyable!! I have so much respect for SAHM and working moms alike!! We all have our difficulties and excitement!!!!

Posted by JamieKay    Wednesday, November 07, 2007 11:17 AM


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