Do you ever wonder what goes through a stay at home Mom’s head? I quit my job as a teacher to be a Mom and these are my confessions of a stay at home mom.
I confess… I judged SAHMs before I became one. I thought, “They have it SO good! So much time to have a clean house, dinner on the table, happy baby and happy husband. Who could ever say being a SAHM is a job?”
I. Was. Wrong.
I confess… staying at home to raise a baby is HARD WORK, especially when you don’t have an easy baby. My baby is a dollface – she smiles and laughs and is oh-so-cute. BUT, she cries. And she doesn’t just cry, she screams, and she chokes herself, and when she gets going… it’s almost impossible to calm her down immediately. It takes at least 10 minutes if I am lucky. Girlfriend has a temper.
I confess… I need a nap at some point during the day, just like the baby. HOWEVER, this rarely happens. There is no time for a nap, because when baby sleeps, housework and laundry get done.
I confess… I am home all day and my house is still a mess.
I confess… when A gets restless, we take selfies in the mirror (aka the photo at the top of this post).
I confess… I don’t get to make dinner every night. Sometimes I eat sliced cheese on white bread for dinner and B eats whatever he can microwave.
I confess… I thought I would get to watch all my DVRd shows being at a SAHM. Truth: my DVR is loaded with multiple episodes of my favorite shows. I don’t like to have the tv on during the day anyways.
I confess… there are days that I don’t go to the bathroom until my husband gets home. That is unless the baby is laying on the bathroom floor while I do my business.
I confess… I do get to shower almost daily! Annabelle loves sitting in the bathroom while I shower, and sometimes she even lets me blow dry my hair.
I confess… I have eaten at least 5 jars of peanut butter since I became a SAHM. It is the easiest meal in my cabinet.
I confess… I LOVE this job more than any I have ever had. I love seeing my baby change and grow every day. I love spending oodles of time with her.
I confess… my job as a SAHM is coming to end in August.
I am going to be teaching first grade again next school year. While I know it is the best decision for my family (to go back to work), I can’t lie that it is not something I want to do. I know it is going to be extremely hard to say goodbye to my sweet girl every morning. It may sound like I am complaining my job as a SAHM is difficult,however I am just stating what I’ve learned over the past 4 months. The rewards of being a SAHM are countless. I am SO fortunate that I will have been able to be at home with A until she is almost 8 months old, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to do so.
Nikki says
Oh man I can not wait for my SAHM time to begin! I am so looking forward to it. Enjoy all the moments now!
Caitlin says
I hope you enjoy your time as a SAHM too! Are you going to be a permanent SAHM or temporary (like me?! haha).??
Gentel says
Today is my first day home as a SAHM as we await the birth of our first baby anydaynow! I confess I have guilt over giving up my big-girl-corporate-job and all the opportunities that go with it. I know I won’t regret this choice once she’s here, but man am I struggling today :/
Caitlin says
I love your honesty…. and promise you will love being at home with your baby!
Jess Beer says
So exciting! I stayed home for 3.5 months for maternity leave and I was so ready to go back to work. Good luck with the transition and let me know if you need any tips!
Caitlin says
I would love to hear about your transition!
Kristina Jordan says
When I was home for 3 months after Jack was born I rarely did anything I thought I could while I was home. I think I made dinner a handful of times and I think I cleaned my house twice in 3 months. The only thing that is important is that our little ones are loved and cared for while we are home. All the other stuff is trivial. Annabelle is loved and happy. That is all that matters!!!
Caitlin says
You are absolutely right! All that matters is the baby =0)
Nicole says
I have a four month old that is not an easy baby as well and feel exactly the same way. I am going back to work next week. It is bittersweet. Part of me is sad that I won’t get all the extra time with my little girl but the other half of me is looking forward to having some adult time again during my day.
Caitlin says
Unfortunately I am going to be spending my days with little ones… so it is especially difficult for me to leave her. I wish you the best of luck!
Bethany says
I enjoyed my time home with Hannah – 7 weeks and with Leah – 8 weeks, but I was also ready to go back to work. Not working, is not an option right now for us and may never be, but I have enjoyed the balance between the two. Let me know if you have any questions about transitioning, I’ve done it twice now 🙂
Amanda says
My confession is I rarely wear anything but yoga pants, sports bra and tshirt! My daughter is almost 16 months old. She’s constantly running around thus I’m chasing her. I also confess that I usually take the first hour of her nap for me. I totally veg out and tune out everything. I find it helps me power through the afternoon once baby wakes up!
Tenns @ New Mama Diaries says
Yep, yep, and yes! I can relate and agree to nearly every single on of these. I do more work as a SAHM than I ever did in any job outside the home.
Carrie says
I stayed home for 13 weeks and have been back to work for 8 now. My confession? While I miss my little man and rush to daycare to pick him up everyday, I love being able to enjoy a couple cups of coffee in peace in the morning and eat lunch during the lunch hour.
Sarah says
Yes, yes, and yes to all of this!!! I have ALWAYS wanted to be a SAHM but unfortunately we could only manage for me to stay home for one year and I think we just got lucky that we were due in September so that I could get just about a whole year at home. I am so sad to be going back in August, though! A teeny part of me misses being in the classroom but not more than I will miss being home with my baby. Glad you’re going through the same thing so that we have someone else in the same situation!
Alisa Madden says
OMG – I absolutely love this post, I just wrote something very similar the other day! I confess that I ate melted cheese on a tortilla for lunch today and sometimes I don’t shower for a few days! Being a SAHM is definitely the hardest job, but one of my favorites!
Alisa @ All Things Alisa
http://allthingsalisamarie.blogspot.com
Caitlin says
Mmm melted cheese on a tortilla sounds delish. Was it microwaved… I have done that before! Too difficult to get out a skillet!
Ashley says
I thought that having a dirty house would bother me when my son was first born since I am such a stickler about it, but I could have cared less for the first like 8 weeks! For bathroom breaks, I used to keep a glider in the bathroom! and I have to shower at night or I don’t think I would have time. I hope you enjoy every last minute left of being a SAHM!
Heather says
I love this post and I completely understand where you are coming from. I stayed home last year with Audrey and went back to teaching Kindergarten this year and it is hard!!! I miss those cuddles in the morning so much, but I also see how much she has learned being at daycare. The transition was VERY hard for both of us at first but she has learned to love it!! Good luck!!
Caitlin says
Was it difficult to balance school and the baby at night? I would love to hear about your transition back to teaching!
Hilary says
My short-lived 6 week stint as a SAHM (okay, okay, maternity leave..) made me realize all those things! I admire all the SAHMs because I honestly think it’s harder than my office job. I do hate that when I get home from work in the evenings, I spend almost the entire evening doing things around the house and very rarely get to snuggle by baby before he goes to bed, but I honestly think it’s just as hard to do all those things when you’re home all day with a baby!
I thought sending Beckett to daycare would be THE HARDEST thing to do, but honestly, it’s been pretty good. It was the strangest feeling when I came in to work on the first day and I realized I didn’t have to rush back to him or worry about getting to him in time to feed him. Knowing that he’s in good hands until 5:30 each day was a relief.