The decision was very easy and natural for me. I opted to stay at home and take care of our three kids because we were a family and that was my role as a mother. That’s what moms do, right? Our children were young, and they needed me to watch over them.
I mean, decades ago, this was the usual practice. Mothers were expected to stay at home, and their daily work was to maintain the household and attend to the kids. The father was the head of the family and the breadwinner, as well. But times have changed. Most homes these days have two working parents and the kids are left with babysitters or at the daycare. In our family, this wasn’t the case. I made a choice, and we had to work around drawbacks in some days.
I Had To Accept That I Had No Career.
It was difficult for me, at times, since I was highly ambitious back in college. My dream was to become a banker, and if I remember it right, our college publication termed me as MOST LIKELY TO BECOME CEO OF A BANK. What I ended up becoming is the CEO of our household. Did I regret my choice? I would be lying if I said that it didn’t give me something to think about intermittently.
I see my former classmates who are now high up the corporate ladder, and they seem very happy. But I look at myself, and I am happy too. Is it the same happiness? Maybe, I guess. All I know is that when I hear my kids appreciate me for my time with them, it drives me to the moon. “Mom, can I kiss you? Can I hug you?” For me, these are the best rewards of all.
My Kids Are Older Compared To Those Of My Peers.
The reason for this is because I married early. We were in college when we decided to tie the knot. I wasn’t pregnant or anything like that. It was just a decision that my husband and I made back then. We were in our final year at the university, and we eloped. Armed with $200 and two witnesses, we married each other in the city hall.
A year after that, we had our son. Right now, he is in college, and he’s not living with us anymore. But I have three kids below 18. Still, they are older than the kids of my friends. I guess it’s because they prioritized their careers instead of family. For me, I was good at attending babies early on. I was motherly, amidst the ambitious exterior.
Money Was Sometimes Tight, But We Made It Happen.
We all need money to survive, right? One of the drawbacks of being a stay-at-home mom is the fact that I don’t have an income. We had to navigate day to day with a specific budget. I think it was character building. I learned how to be frugal and to distinguish need from want. It worked for us.
I look at my friends, and they have beautiful clothes, designer bags and shoes, brand new cars, and big houses. But one of them is divorced. The other one is a mistress. Another friend of mine can’t have babies, while I have four. Life isn’t perfect at all, and money is not everything.
With these thoughts, are you ready to become a stay-at-home mom?