{"id":13700,"date":"2019-01-15T09:33:05","date_gmt":"2019-01-15T14:33:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mayahoodblog.com\/?p=13700"},"modified":"2024-04-30T07:43:11","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T11:43:11","slug":"now-that-my-kids-are-in-school-full-time-im-happier-does-that-make-me-a-bad-mom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mayahoodblog.com\/now-that-my-kids-are-in-school-full-time-im-happier-does-that-make-me-a-bad-mom\/","title":{"rendered":"Now that my kids are in school full time, I’m happier. Does that make me a bad mom?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The choice to become a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) was all mine. When I was pregnant, I was contemplating\u00a0this decision, but couldn’t make up my mind. Luckily, I knew I had a year to think about it. Oddly enough, Kyle’s first year of life was really hard on me. The transition into parenthood wasn’t easy, and Kyle had colic. Despite the challenges, I decided to become a SAHM. Luckily, I was able to ask my employer to hold my spot for another year (by taking a leave of absence) should anything change. That second year made me realize that I didn’t miss any aspect of my old job – with the exception of getting a break here and there. I also got pregnant with Ryan half way through the year, so really, it just made sense.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Pregnant with Ryan & Kyle’s second birthday party<\/p><\/div>\n

Despite the challenging year with Kyle, I was actually good at parenting. Kyle and I would attend a lot of programs together, I had a great mommy group, and most importantly, I felt fulfilled. I preferred staying home with Kyle over my previous job, where I constantly felt stressed. I felt I had more purpose and I couldn’t imagine anyone else taking care of him. While my stress level went down, my exhaustion level, as a SAHM, went up.<\/p>\n

Fast forward 8 years and 3 kids later. Over the years I began getting restless staying home with my kids. I even wrote about those feelings in this post titled ‘the 5 year itch<\/strong><\/a>.’ Obviously I loved my boys and spending time with them, but I also learned something about myself. I learned that I cherish alone time! I thrive on having my alone time. It’s part of my DNA and personality, and without it, I am not happy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Obviously, I wasn’t getting any alone time as a SAHM. My kids were never good at entertaining themselves, and they were always miserable if I left them somewhere without me (whether at their grandparents or in a daycare program). I felt so terrible and guilty when I saw their sad faces that I just kept them with me most of the time. After all, that was my job!<\/p>\n

Also, during the same time, I found a new passion – blogging. I love sharing my experience as a parent in written words and pictures. Being active on social media made me become hooked to my phone, as part of my new ‘job.’ However, it was also taking a toll on my first priority – parenting my kids. It was a hard juggle and truthfully, I never found the balance. I wanted to be a hands-free parent so badly, but I also really wanted to work as a blogger. I tried working at nights after the kids were in bed, but then I felt that I never got my ‘alone’ time to do something truly for myself.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

It wasn’t until this past September, when all three of my boys started school full time, that something inside of me changed. I became a happier person. Less exhausted and more patient. I craved time with my boys. That’s because I was getting almost 6 hours of alone time during the day. By fulfilling my biological need to be ‘alone’, I was FINALLY able to give my kids my undivided attention that they deserve.<\/p>\n

So yes, now that my kids are in school full time I’m happier! Saying it out loud feels good too! Does that make me a bad mom?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The choice to become a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) was all mine. When I was pregnant, I was contemplating\u00a0this decision, but couldn’t make up my mind. Luckily, I knew I had a year to think about it. Oddly enough, Kyle’s first year of life was really hard on me. The transition into parenthood wasn’t easy, and Kyle […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Now that my kids are in school full time, I'm happier. Does that make me a bad mom? 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