Becoming a Stay at Home Mom
Going from a working mother to a stay at home mom.
Becoming a stay at home mom is a much different job than many parents imagine. There will be a time of adjustment as you get used to your new lifestyle.
The adjustment to becoming a stay at home mom, especially for first time mothers, can be a rollercoaster. Many moms feel relieved when they quit their jobs to stay home with their babies but they quickly realize that going to work was the easy job. Being a stay at home mom brings unfamiliar challenges.
It isn’t the difficult work load that wears us down but the endless piles of laundry and unfinishable projects around the house. No matter how fast you work, the dishes will never be done for long. That is a huge change from clear cut tasks at work that could be checked off of your to-do list. Becoming a stay at home mom requires that you adjust your thinking and create a different culture than you are used to dealing with.
It is easy to become isolated as a stay at home mom. In the work force, you see other adults every day, all day long. Your co-workers and clients are constantly talking to you and providing opportunities to interact with the world. As a stay at home mom, especially as a stay at home mom to a young infant, your interactions are limited to baby talk and screaming at solicitors.
Allow yourself to adjust slowly. Pregnancy lasts 9 months. Give yourself some time to adjust to your new roles and responsibilities. You will have your ups and downs as a stay at home mom but it will get easier as time goes on. Being home alone with a young baby is one of the harder times to stay at home. Life can seem very slow and tedious. Time moves quickly. Before you know it you will be dreaming of those quiet naps with your baby and lazy afternoons.
Give yourself permission to make mistakes. No one is perfect. Despite what the baby books and magazines may tell you, you will not be a perfect mom. It takes time to become the mother you want to be. Your baby will not be scarred for life if he’s wearing yesterday’s clothes or sneaks a few cheerios off the floor.
Being a stay at home mom is a wonderful occupation and you will never regret the time that you have spent with your children. It does take some time to get used to your new role and lifestyle. When you start a new job you go through a training period where you adapt and adjust. Becoming a stay at home mom is no different. You need to give yourself time to learn what your life as a stay at home mom entails.
