Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a Mom, but always thought I'd be a working Mom. Never ever ever did I think I would have the desire to be a stay at home Mom... I thought all they did was sat around and ate bon-bons all day long. The last day of work before I went into labor I even said to my boss "don't you worry, I'll be back in 6 short weeks." Just days after Jaxon was born I knew my heart had changed, but unfortunately our financial situation did not allow for this to happen, and the first 14 months of his life, I was a working Mama. All you have to do is read through posts during this time to see how much I hated it, and how much my heart just longed for more time with my boy.
On April 7th, just 2 days shy of Jaxon's 14 month mark, I lost my job. At the time, it was the worst case scenario, because y'all remember... Tyler had just been laid-off 2 months prior, so now we had no income and no medical benefits. But it turns out that this was all apart of God's plan... to give me the desire of my heart and to be able to stay home with Jaxon {and later on Cohen also!}
Being a stay at home Mom has been my favorite job of all times. And just in case you have the mind-set that I once did, there is no such thing as sitting and eating bon-bons all day long... most days, there's no such thing as sitting for more than 10 minutes at a time at all, especially now adding Cohen to the mix.
Just for kicks and giggles, I thought I'd do a comparison of the two jobs.
My old job: The boss was rude, self-promoting, and full of himself.
My new job: I receive hugs and kisses multiple times through the day.
My old job: Had high expectations. Demanded a lot from me and set unrealistic rules.
My new job: I am told "thank you" and get asked for things with a "please".
My old job: Didn't appreciate the hard work that I gave to the team.
My new job: I am rewarded frequently through the day with smiles and laughs.
My old job: Put me in uncomfortable situations.
My new job: Makes me feel loved. Makes me feel wanted, and needed.
My old job: Had a dress code.
My new job: Love me just the way I am.
My old job: Greeted me each morning with a to-do list.
My new job: Greet me each morning with a hug and smile.
My old job: Days were dreaming about the time my shift would end.
My new job: Days are spent not wanting our time to slip away too quickly.
My old job: Left each day feeling insignificant, and like I didn't matter.
My new job: Lay my head on the pillow at night and count my blessings. Let out a big sigh of contentment.
My old job: Pushed me to my limits and tested my patience daily.
My new job: Pushes me to my limits and tests my patience daily. ;)
I am so so so blessed to be able to stay home with my boys and would not trade this job for anything in the world. There are days that are not perfect, days that I'm left feeling lonely and frustrated, but I wouldn't trade this opportunity to be able to raise my boys and train them to be men of God for all the money a "career job" would get me.
I know there's a lot of working Moms that love what they do, and I'm so happy for them. I also know there's a lot of stay at home Moms that love what they do, and I'm equally happy for them, also. Do what works for you and your family and of course pray about it, that's all I can suggest to you as you figure out what you want to do.
As for me, you'll find me each day doing, saying, and singing ridiculous things to get my boys to smile and laugh, comforting and kissing "owie's", chasing my 2 year old around the house, changing dozens of diapers, breathing deep while they're both screaming, giving lots of hugs and kisses, enjoying my diet coke in peace during nap time, going on lots of walks and playdates, taking hundreds of pictures, looking for opportunities to teach numbers, colors, and words ......
...... and loving every second of it.
Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4
