When I envisioned my future I always imagined that I would advance in my career and accomplish each goal that I set after graduating college. I was fortunate to work in my field after college and even after I had my first daughter, but we knew it would just be best for my family that I stay at home once our second daughter would be born. We found out that Mia was breeched and that I would need to have a cesarean section with her. I was determined to work up until the day before I was scheduled to have her, which I did. During my last day as a working mom I was filled with various emotions; excitement, happiness, sadness, and fear. I was looking forward to being the one to take care of Emma and Mia each and every day and I knew that I would be able to do it, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy to stay at home as parenting is filled with challenges each and every day. Becoming a stay-at-home mom meant that I was giving up an identity that I had for years which was hard to take in. Another concern that I had is that I would have to start over when I would want to work again, but I know I’m not the first mom to go through this so it can’t be as bad as I am telling myself.
Being in a house with a baby and a toddler all day was intimidating to me. The reason this made me nervous was due to the fact that I would not be around other adults. I was used to being able to socialize at work and I was afraid of losing that. When I began my journey as a stay-at-home mom I only knew of a couple of other moms in similar situations, which ended up helping tremendously as I was not going to be as alone during the day as I expected. Once I felt confident in taking a toddler and new baby outside of our house more frequently, I joined a local moms group. By joining this group I was able to meet several other stay-at-home moms and my girls have also made friends in the process. It has been so ideal for us because we like to be on a schedule and there are always events through this group for us to attend. If you are a stay-at-home mom, then you probably know that it never goes well when kids are at home all day every day!
Now that I have been a stay-at-home mom for two years, I can’t imagine my life any other way. Life has been busier then when I worked full time! When it comes time to work full time again I hope to be able to work from home as I want to be around my girls as often as I can as well as be involved in their school activities. Being a stay-at-home mom has been extremely rewarding and I am beyond thankful that I am able to be at home with my girls. If you are in a similar situation, always remember that they grow up fast and work will always be there for you!
