What I Learned During My Week As A Stay-At-Home-Mom

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During spring break, I took a week off of work to hang out with my ten-year-old son. I have been working outside of the home full time since he was six months old. We spent our week together seeing a couple friends, rearranging his bedroom, and spring cleaning our house. We had a lot of fun being together and worked really hard.

It was strange being home so much.

We had two days where we didn’t even leave the house at all! To be honest, when the week was over, I was pretty glad to return to work. Not because I don’t enjoy spending time with my son, but because my paying job is EASIER than being a full time stay-at-home-mom and wife! Here are the important things I realized during our week at home.

Lessons Regarding Me

  • My most dreaded chore is still cooking dinner. Even with more time to make more interesting meals, I still didn’t want to do it. And there was even more cooking required being home for lunch.
  • Trying to keep the house picked up is no easier if you’re home all day. In fact, it may be harder! Plus, being in spring cleaning mode revealed so many dirty and neglected spots in our home. I didn’t have enough time to accomplish everything that needed attention, even with my son’s help.
  • The hours on the job are endless! At my paying job, it’s easy to leave it behind when I leave the office. Not so being a stay-at-home-mom. I still found myself mending clothes at 9pm one night.
  • I didn’t take much time for myself. The only thing I did for myself was get a pedicure. I only did one thing over the course of the week for self-care. That’s about what it averages when I’m at work, too. Not “working” didn’t free up any time or make it any easier to be intentional with my “me” time.
  • Balance is a myth. Whether we work as a stay-at-home-mom or work outside the home, we can’t seem to find a balance. It is more of a dance as we sway back and forth between our roles and responsibilities. At the end of the day, all I could do was do my best with the challenges and tasks at hand. That’s all each of us can ever do.

Lessons Regarding My Son

  • My son is an amazing and capable person. We wouldn’t have gotten so much done if it hadn’t been for his help with the cleaning. He is a pro at cleaning baseboards! Spending extra time with him meant so much to me.
  • My son still needs me. As we are approaching the tween years, I made the mistake of thinking that he is outgrowing his need to be with me so much. That’s not the reality. As he is approaching middle school and all of the changes coming, he needs me more than ever. The week together revealed that fact to me. Now, I can be more intentional in the future.

When Time Was Up

When our week together was over, I was relieved to return to work. I missed my coworkers and the adult interactions. I missed doing the work at my job that I really enjoy. Ultimately, our week together reminded me yet again that my paying job isn’t what is most important. My most important roles will always be as a wife and a mother. I am grateful for the reminder, and am glad I got to be a stay-at-home-mom for a week.