I've had a child home with me, 24 hours a day, for eleven years straight. Sometimes, it was only one child. For years, it was three. That was both a fun and painful time in my life as a Mom. I was exhausted, run down, and sometimes bored.
But I wouldn't change a thing.
It is a totally amazing thing to be witness to your child learning. I love the fact that I taught all my children their numbers, their letters, their phonics then how to read. It is truly a miracle.
My days are different now.
All of them, all SIX of them, are in school. Even Little Miss S is in full time Kindergarden. The house is quiet. Very, very, eerily, wonderfully quiet. It was odd at first. Now after two months, I love it. I mean I love-love it. There is no crazy pulling of family and work now. During school hours I can work on Mothers Fighting For Others, and when 2:00 hits, I shut down the computer, and focus on homework with the kids.From 2:00 to 9:00 it's all about family.
It's made my life guilt free.
I can work on work during work hours, and I can play, do homework, do MOM things during "peak" hours, guilt free. That's new for me. I was always pulled the other direction. I think it's bullshit when Mom's talk about how they have balance. There is no balance. Unless you're talking a 90-10 balance. In my experience, when I was succesful at being Mom, work slacked. If I was a rockstar at work, I was ignoring my children. And that's just wrong.
Right now, I'm thankful I can do both.
For any SAHMs out there who are trying to do both... give yourself a break. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. We can't do it all at 100% Just do your best, given the time you have. When you are with your kids, don't worry about the paperwork. If you are paying bills, or on the phone with a client, try not to scream at your kids, because you only feel like shit afterwards.
Then again, this is just my opinion, my life, my experiences. You can take it or leave it.
Good Luck!
Some guy from high school posted a video that had your link at the end of it and I followed it because "muthahood" well, helllllo, i'm a sahm to two Military brats and it would be a miracle of something else explained my life.
I read something about turning 40 eventually, saw that you compiled a list, the tattoo, and then.... got down to your six kids blog here... Wow. I wish someone could have said that to me sooner. Mine are still 4 and 3, girls, loud, not spoiled with things, but I do tend to overly love them in the eyes of "young" parents, therefor most of my friends are in their 30s and 40s... while I just turned 25. (It's been that way since I had our first, now that I look back.) I wish I could make more mom friends, then again, part of me thinks, I could do without a bunch of 21 year old Marine wives telling me I should loosen up and go out to a bar with them. I guess to each parent, their own... I like not being wasted while I'm home with them, I have work to be done, sales to pitch, babies to love (a lot) because well, I homeschool for now, since I figure some scheduling with learning and as you mentioned, teaching our daughters their numbers, alphabet and reading is beyond amazing.. and I didn't get terrible 2s, I got terrible 3s, so when my big girl passed it... and became 17 overnight, the little one decided to catch up with terrible 3s and well, it leaves little room for err...
Being with them is perfect, but the 90/10 is true. I always felt pressured when women said they are full time workers, students and moms, because shit, I can NOT do school and an away from home job if i tried. Not now, not with the attention our girls are getting. My time with them is short at this age, priceless if I may. Anyway, THANK you for that last paragraph. I needed it. :) Love the blog so far.
Posted by: Mrs. J | March 10, 2011 at 08:59 PM