Hellobee

Before I was a SAHM, I was a WAHM. I’ve haven’t had a regular 9-5 job for about 6 years, and have never worked outside the home at all as a mom! It’s definitely been quite the transition.

A quick selfie before I take off to work

I officially started to lose steam as a SAHM when Baby Pencil was about 9 months old and Toddler Pencil was home for summer break. Having to care for the whole household, and entertaining a chatty 4-year-old and a 20 lb baby started to make me feel tired on another level I had never experienced. I laugh at the idea that people think being a SAHM is easy – I’m sure for those who are wired that way, it can be. But for me – I was sinking. I was getting more irritated and losing my patience by the day. I tried really hard not to constantly throw the iPad to my 4-year-old, who complained of being bored 800 times a day. My 9-month-old was adorable, but she couldn’t walk or feed herself yet so she needed my physical care. I understand this is just normal life for all moms, but I was not adjusting well to this new SAHM life of two kids at home.

So when Baby Pencil was about 9 months old, I started to apply to all sorts of jobs. I decided that if the right opportunity came, I would only go to a regular 9-5 if it was my dream job. I was interviewing for what seemed like a dream job and when I got the offer, I couldn’t say no! The hours, the benefits, the background just seemed to fit me so well. I had to quickly search all the daycares in my area and was suddenly anxious and excited for this huge change!

Myself

I’ve been living in maternity clothes and pajamas for the past 5 years! I felt like the opposite of professional. The first 2 weeks of work, I was greeting and having small talk with about 40 different people and it was exhausting. Even as a high extrovert, my brain hurt from pretending I was a normal person and couldn’t think of enough small talk. I blinked like a simpleton during all my training. In the back of my head, I was wondering how the kids were doing and if my husband remembered to put lotion on Toddler Pencil’s ouchies. Once we got the ball rolling, these thoughts slowly disappeared and my body eventually adjusted to the new schedule.

Peptalk

I had to give myself a pep talk a few times and remind myself that I was committed to this new chapter. With this new job, we have better benefits, more opportunities to travel and add to our “YOLO fund,” and of course save for the family’s future. Coming from a creative background, I’ve never had a retirement plan, so this felt very much like the wisest thing to do. My husband was amazingly supportive the whole time, and never pushed me in either direction.

Support

The house duties have been a total mess. I can’t even look at the living room right now because there are teeny, tiny pieces of scrap paper and playdough in every crack of the room. I assume we will find our new normal because I had been doing most of the cooking, cleaning and laundry. My husband has been pretty amazing doing much more than usual, but it’s still an adjustment for us all.

My two bosses were one of the main reasons why I decided to take this job. They showed support and understanding when my kids got sick, acknowledged how difficult parenting could be and told me if I had things to deal with at home that I could leave. They even encouraged me to bring the kids to the office! I brought them to work a couple times and they were greatly accepted and even “put to work.”

As of now…

It had been awhile since I’ve used my professional brain for 8 hours a day and not be in pajamas from the waist down. However, there have been a couple of moms at work that have preschool aged kids and they have given me so much encouragement! We talk about our kids and have sympathy for when they get sick, are teething, and when we have mom guilt from being away from them. I love the power of community between moms – working and not working. SAHMs and WOTMs alike have so much resilience and strength in every way!

I only get to spend about 45 minutes with my little girl before she goes to bed, and that is the part that kills me the most. I look forward to weekends and the precious moments I have with her. She’s in the most adorable 1-2 year stage and I treasure her so much more now! As adults, we’re always making decisions not knowing whether they’re the “right” choices. But for now, this decision to take this new road has been pretty good for us all.

Has anyone else had similar experiences going back to work as a SAHM?