There is an increasing number of women who are opting to be stay-at-home moms in our clime. This number comprises both first time moms and moms with kids. This trend is a result of the many challenges women face at the workplace and they make it difficult if not impossible for moms to cope. It is stressful enough for a single lady and if you add being a wife and mother to the mix, it becomes a different story. Long distance commute to work, early hours, poor pay, coming home late, difficulty in getting reliable help for home and baby are some of the issues mothers face. There is also the preference for home-based businesses which surprisingly has turned out to be lucrative for most people involved. Who wouldn't want to work from the comfort of home and be involved in raising her kids and taking care of the home front? I know I do. I left my job shortly before I got married, it was enough to tide me over as a single lady but I knew all the long hours and poor pay would not be worth it when I have kids. I decided to go for a mini business I can run from home.
There are a lot of stay-at-home moms who are working from home and while we may not be commuting to work there is the challenge of balancing child care, doing laundry, making meals and also meeting our deadline. At first I thought it will be easy and that I would have a lot of time. As my child grew so did the time I spent with him - eating, cleaning up after him, diaper change, playing catch, reading to him or whatever he is interested in at the moment. If you work full time you miss them terribly, if you work from home you long for just an hour to yourself. Such is the life of a mom and I still don't regret my decision to be a stay-at-home mom. I grew up with a working mom but times were different then. Help was available from relatives who flocked to town from the village for easier access to education and jobs. They would keep us children in check while my parents were at work, help do the laundry, shop for foodstuff and others errands my mom needed help with in their their time away from school and work.
Tips to make your transition easy
- Keep in mind that you are still at work, you simply changed your title, environment and boss. Your new job is no less important because you get to lead and influence a new generation.
- Make a schedule for yourself, your days may not always go according to plan but whatever you are able to do is enough for the day.
- Ease into your new role, test the waters and find what works for you and your family.
- Be prepared financially. You may be saving a lot of money because you are no longer paying your way to work but the money is going into the purchase of diapers, milk and food.
- Keep your expectations to a minimum, you may think you will have a lot of time to binge-watch your favourite shows or get lost in social media but you couldn't be farther from reality.
- Don't be lost to the rest of the world. Keep in touch with your friends and former co-workers. You need adult interaction too.
- Make time for yourself. Being a mom means you are constantly being poured out and you need to refill. Do something that pours back into you otherwise you would be completely drained.
- Make new friends especially other moms who have been where you are and can give you support and advice.
- Involve your spouse. He can take care the kids while you go out and do something fun with your friends for a change.
- Look for activities outside your home to keep you and your kids busy.
- When you feel overwhelmed, look back and see how much you have accomplished. Looking at the brighter side will keep your head in the game.
- You will miss work sometimes and it is okay to mourn your job, dressing up every morning, going out and having adults to talk to.
There might be a different set of rules for working moms and stay-at-home moms but at the end of the day, we are all committed to our kids and giving them the best life possible.<<
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