Transitioning from a working mother to a stay at home mom turned out to be a bit more difficult than I had anticipated. Maybe it’s because my expectations were so high and unrealistic, but you can learn from my experience.
Have you ever looked at a certain stay at home mom and you silently envied her? She is just tending to her home, taking care of her child (ren) and just loving on herself, how good is that life? No work pressure, just bliss.
That was me a couple of months back(the jealous one, that is).
I thought stay-at-home-mothers were the luckiest beings on earth. They have all the time in the world to do whatever they want. And they get to take care of their sweet babies at the same time.
Girl, was I wrong!
For a long time, I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom though I could hardly admit it.
The few times I mentioned it to people, they (especially the ladies) were quick to remind me of all the years I spent in school. Why would I want to waste all that knowledge sitting at home? After 5 years spent earning an Engineering degree, surely I could do better than being “just a mom”!
For some reason, being a stay at home mother is something that is frowned upon, especially in Kenya where I come from. It is seen as a preserve of the uneducated. Educated girls are supposed to go out and ‘kick-ass’ in the office. They should be working moms.
After all, isn’t that what feminism was supposed to achieve? Equal opportunities for us to get employed?
But what happens when what your heart really wants is not to be in an office, but to be available for every moment your family needs you. What if you would rather be successful at home and not necessarily at a corporate office?
I don’t think we provide room for this enough.
As a society, we are so focused on professional progression as a marker of success. So much so that we have devalued the role of motherhood and homemaking.
Staying home to take care of your family is often not celebrated yet this is a career in itself. And it is an important one. When you teach your daughter that she can become anything she wants, does that also include motherhood?
Can she be the mother she wants to be without being made to feel inferior? This is the part that feminism does not prepare us for. In fact, I could say feminism fails us terribly in this area.
It is no wonder many of us women are having a hard time juggling work and children. Because we have been conditioned that the only place we can make an impact is in the corporate circles.
The dreamy stay at home mom life was coming or was it?
Knowing all these, when the opportunity came for me to be a SAHM, it was not an easy decision to make. My husband had a career opportunity that would have us move from Kenya to the US.
After thinking long and hard, going back and forth a couple of times, I finally decided I was going to make the move with him. If for nothing else, I would finally get to experience the life I had always dreamed of as a SAHM.
As soon as I really set my mind to it, I started getting excited. I was going to enjoy this life as much as I could.
I dreamt of the many days I was just going to lay back and catch up on all the movies and TV series that I missed as a working mother.
Oh, the many recipes I was going to try out because I will finally have the time.
I had no idea what was coming.
The real-life experience transitioning from working mom to stay at home mom
I left my job, moved countries, settled into a house, and then what?
It was nothing like I imagined, I really didn’t know how to cope with my new life. It was just me and my son at home, all day every day.
No adult conversations, no break from the baby. You suddenly realize that you actually need a break from the very child you wanted to spend all your days with.
It did not help that hubby had a tight work schedule and was working late nights and weekends.
For the first month, my life was a mess. I just didn’t know how to run a home as a mother and a wife with no help.
While I was a working mom in Kenya, I had someone who took care of everything at home while I was away at work.
I would wake up to ready breakfast for everyone. My laundry was done, all I had to do was just take a shower, dress up, and show up to work, every weekday.
On weekends, I would sleep until mid-morning and then wake up to a well-fed child who is happy to play with mommy for the rest of the day. I was spoiled!
In this new phase, my son was waking up to tears some days because his breakfast was not ready. Everything was happening so fast and no time for all my fantasies.
By the time I’d be done cleaning up from breakfast it was already lunchtime.
Cook again, feed the baby- which takes forever, by the way, – clean the dishes again, entertain him, put him in for a nap which he will resist, and then spend the next hour fighting about it yet he is evidently sleepy.
What are we having for dinner by the way?
This life is exhausting. My goodness!
Being a stay at home mom is the hardest job I’ve ever had to do in my life, I won’t even try to lie about it.
You know, I used to think working an 8-5 was hard, it’s not. Taking care of a child all day is hard!
I have deep respect for my nanny who helped me raise my son for almost 2 years and made it look like it was a walk in the park. I am eternally grateful to her and many like her.
She did the very same things that I have been struggling with every single day and it never seemed like much work until I had to do them myself. I always came home to a happy baby, who was well-fed and entertained.
Here I was, struggling to keep up with all his energy and constant need for entertainment and be able to maintain a clean and peaceful home.
Becoming a stay at home mom is not anything like I had imagined. Thankfully, I’m slowly growing into it and enjoying the process.
It has been harder than I thought, but it has also come with some perks that I hadn’t expected.
Despite all the challenges, I have found peace and happiness in being at home.
Waking up to a little person who completely loves and trusts you even after you have failed him before is beyond description. And then I get to hang out with him all day.
We cuddle, we hug, we dance, we kiss and we say ‘I love you too’, over and over again throughout the day. That means the world to me.
I have found healing in this season.
By the time I was leaving my job I was mentally exhausted. I was carrying so much weight on my back, trying to be everything to everyone and it was not working. I had very little time for my family and even the little time we had wasn’t spent very well because of all the stress we carried around.
I am more fulfilled than ever and I have absolutely no regrets about making this decision.
This was meant to be a temporary season in our lives but it feels like we could do this forever. It is not easy, and I admit that there are many times I need help but it has been a wonderful experience for our family.
We are growing together in a conducive environment and we are thankful for that.
Will I ever go back to work? I don’t know. For now, the focus is on taking care of my family the best way I can and where possible find opportunities to work at home. So far, so good.
Would I recommend for you to transition from being a working mom to stay at home mom?
If you are thinking of transitioning from being a working mom to being a stay at home mom, I think it is worth considering. It is taking a leap of faith in many ways.
You might end up loving it, or you might hate it. Whichever way, you won’t know until you try.
A very important factor is that you need your partner to be on board, and be supportive of you (because – finances ?). If that is covered, don’t let other people’s opinions discourage you.
Here is a post I did that can help you determine if being a stay at home mom is the right choice for you: Should you be a stay at home mom?
Also, brace yourself for the transition from working mom life to the stay at home mom life. It is not easy. But you are a strong mama, and if I could do it, you can do it too!
Read: How to be a happy stay at home mom
And remember, if you try the stay at home life and feel like it is not working for you, you can always go back to work. Never allow yourself to feel stuck, keep your options open.
If having a source of income as a stay at home mother is your biggest worry, I cover a few ways you can make money from home in this post
You can be the kind of mom you want to be
We keep telling girls that they can be anything they want to be and mostly we are referring to professional advancements.
For me ‘anything you want to be’ includes being a stay at home mom, a work at home mom, a working mom in a corporate office or whatever you want to be.
I truly believe that we should encourage each other as women to be free to make whatever choice we want. Without feeling like one is inferior to the other.
If becoming a stay at home mother is what you and your family need, go for it. You don’t have to be in an office somewhere to make a difference, you can make a difference right inside your home.
Related: The night my toddler stuck something up his nose
Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think. If you like it, make sure you share it.
Thanks Debbie a nice read it is. I can relate to many things here. Keep up.
I am glad you enjoyed it. Taking the road less traveled is not always easy but it is worth it. Thanks for leaving me a comment, I’m glad someone can relate.
I enjoyed this read. Thanks for sharing ?
I am glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by
Thank you Debbie for this. I enjoyed reading it and resonated with so much in your article. I took the ‘leap’ in 2013 and haven’t looked back since. Thanks for putting into words what I couldn’t.
Thanks for reading, Faith. I think this is something that we should talk about more. As women, we need to realize that we have a choice and it is okay to make the unpopular one.
So glad to find someone who has been doing this for much longer and loves it. Your 5-year experience is long enough to confirm to me that I am on the right path.
I really appreciate your comment dear. Power to you!
Wow so very true but its only that the circumstances we find ourselves in don’t allow it.we try to multitask and end exhausted all day everyday.thanks gal.
I appreciate your sentiments on this as it is the case for many women. Sometimes the circumstances won’t allow it, especially if you need the income. The exhaustion is real and many women are depressed because of all the pressures they have to deal with, so where possible let us find the freedom to make the shift to staying at home without feeling guilty about it at all.
Aaaw…I am so proud of you gal
Thank you!
I’ve always been a SAHM and loved it! Though there are the inevitable twinges of jealousy when my husband talks about his work lunches or his work trips and I can barely assemble a coherent sentence because I only talk to babies all day! It really is a blessing, though!
That’s right Amy, it really is a blessing. I love being at home with my baby.
Such a good post! It’s crazy to me that there can be so much judgment on either side: those who think you should stay at home and those who think you should go back to work. Ultimately, we can’t make everyone happy and have to do what’s best for us. I think you made such a good point here: just because it’s not easy doesn’t mean it’s not the right choice. Neither option is easy! Both types of moms are super moms 🙂
Exactly my point, Jordan. Whichever choice you make whether to work or be a stay at home mom, both do a great job.
Just found this post after my first full week at home with my two little ones. Thank you for sharing your experience. I had similar feelings about quitting a job I spent so long going to school for. So reassuring to read your post.
Thanks Jessica, I am really glad this was helpful. It feels great to know that you are not alone.
Hi! I’m curious if you are still a stay at home or went back? I’m a fellow engineer and debating the same exact questions.
I am so thankful for this post. It was everything I needed to read. I have been considering SAHM life and about to put my notice in. I’m not my best self at home because I’m stressed trying to play catch up and therefore not present. It’s been hard to consider when I busted my butt to earn my masters, but I can always go back to work. That life worked for me for a time, now I think this is what works best. I can always go back