Once upon a time, I spent my days rotating between a sea of cubicles, meeting rooms, and manufacturing equipment. I made money. I talked to other adults. And I often felt a sense a satisfied accomplishment. I also had freedom (so to speak) to decide what my body and mind would be doing at any given moment (and no clue this would change). I was actually pretty happy at my job. And, at the end of every day I would come home to enjoy time with my baby… the dog.
Then my son was born and I decided to leave my job. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t want my kid to be “raised by someone else.” I left my job because I felt that I knew myself and my limitations. I’m not very good at relaxing or de-stressing particularly when there are things that need to be done. And it turns out that I’m perfectionist too… this only serves to heighten my stress levels.
I decided that to limit the stress that I would inevitably bring to my family, I would not try to juggle a family and career because goodness knows, I would probably fall apart if I tried to do all that. I mean how could I possibly raise a family perfectly and have a perfect career?
With the decision made to stay home, I had this image of our family time on the weekends and evenings being amazingly blissful, easy, stress free, and free from chores and shopping. As long as I stayed home… I imagined that our lives would be perfect, perfect, perfect!
I planned to have amazing and educational experiences all ready in advance for my kids. No need for preschool!
I would also have plenty of time to plan incredible and economical family vacations…
iron my husband’s clothes
mow the yard,
and walk the dog every day.
Oh… and exercise, I would do that too. Probably everyday.
Oh again… did I mention that I also intended to have a perfectly clean and organized home… all the time?
All of this I would do with a smile and without feeling any stress of being over-extended!!
(Seriously… this is how my brain worked. Then. I think. I’m not sure I still have a brain though.)
So since we’re all already moms around here, we know where this is going, right? Whether you’re a SAHM or a work away from home mom, I’d love to hear what your pre-baby expectations were!
Read part II of my SAHM life HERE.
I do love this post Megan! I don’t even remember what my expectations were but I do remember how easy life was before kids!
I agree that life was easier before kids. It’s amazing how what we perceive to be hard is all a matter of perspective.
I was expecting a Madonna and child experience. Everything would come natural. Life would be beautiful. We would be bonded for life and she would be the center of my world…. Things didn’t happen exactly that way.
It’s amazing how idealistic we can be!
Thank you for acknowledging that being a working mom would have been difficult. I never hear that from SAHMs. As a part-time working mom myself, I do all the many chores, grocery shopping, laundry, meal planning, and cooking full time moms do. The difference is, while I have some additional adult conversation, I’m exhausted from getting up at 5 a.m. three days a week, with no nap on my work days. My heart goes out to full-time working moms. I know I couldn’t do what they do!
Yes, of course I think it’s hard to be a working mother! But really I think it’s hard to be a mom period! Most of us end our days feeling completely exhausted!