Being a Stay At Home Mom

Being a stay at home mom doesn’t sound like anything too hard does it? It sounds like a lot of fun and so many women just want to be stay at home moms so it must be awesome, right?! Ehhh. Being a stay at home mom, like any other job, has it’s own pros and cons.

What could be hard about being a stay-at-home mom?

Being a stay at home mother for a lot of people can easily be overwhelming. One of the hardest parts is constantly having to serve and give yourself to others when they so often show little concern for you, especially with really young kids. My two year old definitely doesn’t understand when I am doing nice things for her even though I really only got an hour of sleep last night, so I rarely get a thank you. Not to mention, I barely get five minutes to think myself. Or go to the bathroom by myself. Or cook dinner by myself. Or do much of anything! But it can be so incredibly overwhelming to stay at home. Especially if you are someone that has always worked or been working a 9-5 jobs for years before taking a step back, it can be a big change. Some mothers feel more comfortable having some sort of structure and stability that comes with having a regular job. Everyone has a different situation for what works best for their family, but to say that staying at home isn’t hard is just not true! When you decide to be a stay-at-home mom, you are choosing to suddenly become a maid and a Chef and a personal driver and also a teacher! There are so many roles to fill during the day that many people end the day feeling so inadequate and like nothing they did even accomplish anything. What we don’t see is how grateful our families are for what we do, or how much of a mess it would be without us. We truly keep our families sticking together and always having a safe place that they love.

What is the best part about being a stay-at-home mom?

The best part of being a stay-at-home mom is getting to spend all that wonderful fun time with your kiddos of course! One of the things that is so easy to forget when we are feeling stressed and overwhelmed is that our babies are growing up right in front of us. It can be so easy to focus on how we feel or what we want that we forget those important conversations. We forget that every time we are spending with them is time spent bonding and connecting that they will always cherish. As adults, we often don’t stop to think back to those little moments with our own family members we love. Even little times like riding with my grandpa to 7-11 for a Slurpee. Nothing fancy or expensive, but simply time spent together. We also get to spend lots of time together learning and exploring. Of course, this can become challenging with more than one baby. But we can soak up those lightbulb moments with our kids when they learn something new. To see your baby’s first steps or first crawl or first bite of food by themselves is so special and something our husbands can tend to miss, unfortunately. We should always be grateful that we get to experience that.

How do I stay calm and happy as a stay-at-home mom?

It’s incredibly important that you make time for yourself! While it is really easy to focus in on your family and taking care of others, you need to take care of yourself. I didn’t understand why people always said it was so important that I had date nights with my husband every month or why it was important I got out of the house more by myself. Taking care of others can drain us and be so exhausting. But we cannot pour into others if our own cup is empty. Taking care of yourself is also important to keep yourself motivated. Especially when you have really young kids, it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It can be hard to feel like you’re not going to be rushing around and changing diapers and washing bottles for the rest of your life. However, there will come a time when you have much more time to yourself. But right now, you should spend some time doing things that you find to be fun. Going out with friends, shopping with your sister or by yourself, or anything you find to be exciting. You have to keep yourself motivated and happy in order to really be that for other people. You have to make sure that you are staying in the best possible mental shape so that you can love openly with others.

Another thing is don’t be afraid to ask for help. Everyone needs help sometimes and everyone deserves a little break. It has been really great for me being close to family and also being able to pay a babysitter if we needed one. I know not everyone has that luxury of having someone around that they trust. It was hard for me in the beginning to ask anyone to watch my daughter because who would want to watch a screaming infant, right?! But I learned overtime that people really don’t mind as much as we think. My family has been more than happy to help me out while also getting their own bonding time with their newest family member! I often would just overthink the situation and scare myself out of wanting to ask anybody. Something that was hard for me to admit and ask for help for at first was when I was getting overwhelmed, I felt really bad for not just loving motherhood. I felt really guilty and really bad that I wasn’t just so perfect at it and in love with it and instead I struggled. It was a really hard and different adjustment than the life I was living right before my baby was born. And it IS a big adjustment.

We shouldn’t feel bad about that. It can be really hard as a stay-at-home mom. Some people really don’t love it and it just isn’t for them. I think being a stay-at-home mom is the most important job anyone could ever have. There is no one better to love and care for and teach your children than you! While I know that staying home is a luxury these days, I hope that every parent recognizes the importance in it and tries their best to make it happen. Don’t ever feel bad if you are having a hard time because it is such a big life change. Everyone takes time adjusting and learning. That is pretty much everything for this blog post. Thank you so much for your support and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss any posts! I love you and God bless!