There is no break. Being a stay at home mom means there is NO BREAK! And by break, I don’t mean time to relax. Rather, I mean there is no change of pace, change in scenery, change in people I interact with. I remember when I was working in the corporate world, if I disliked my client or had a crappy day I could come home and feel separated, and get a much needed break before I faced work again the next day. The same is not true as a stay-at-home-mom. If I have a sh$#ty day, there’s no where to go, no where to hide, there’s no BREAK. I can’t even go to the bathroom without being followed inside. Also, there is no coffee break. I mean, I could take the boys to get coffee, but I’m not crazy! I can’t run errands or book an appointment during my lunch time. Doing any of those things with kids in tow is like trying to brush your teeth while eating an Oreo cookie.
I work 9 to 5 and then 5 to 9. Every single day, including weekends. I see the same “people” (aka my three boys) every day, every hour and every minute. T H E R E I S N O B R E A K! There is no separation between church and state, or in my case, between work and family. There is no change and no difference. I’m doing the same thing, with the same people, in the same place. I’m the female version of Bill Murray from Groundhog Day finding myself in a never ending time loop.
When my “work” week wraps up, I just roll into the weekend. Although the weekends are a bit easier because my husband is around so the coverage goes from 3 (kids) on 1 (parent) to 3 (kids) on 2 (parents), it’s still hard and stressful and constant. Even my husband gets a break on the weekend when he has his weekly hockey game every Sunday (which reminds me, I really need to pick up a hobby outside of the house ASAP).
We need a stay-at-home mommy and toddler double date!!! Let’s plan for one 🙂 indoor playground (or at the park) where they can run and we can chat!
Having that time with your kids is priceless, you will have the rest of their lives to be outside the home keeping busy with “grown up ” stuff 🙂 ENJOY IT!
I’m trying… I really am. Always hard to do in the moment but I know I will look back and wish for more of that time.
Right in the bulls eye! Even friends give me weird looks when I say that I need a timeout and just leaving my kids with my husband and going to another room won’t work. I can still hear them arguing, they still bang on my door… So, a couple of times a week right after dinner I go shopping. Sometimes I find myself sitting in the car in a parking lot, listening to the music, dreaming. Sounds crazy, but it feels wonderful 🙂
This doesn’t sound crazy at all. It sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing. Xoxo
Oh Maya. Yes. Yes and yes!!! This month marks my 10 years being home! 9.5 of those were with kids in my nest. We have these hiccups, they are real. But next month you could be flying high on this blessing. I say blessing because that is exactly what it is. Now a days not many mom’s can say they’ve been this deep. Those 12 hour plus days are hard, but please know… it does get better! You’ve got this Mama! Xo