Why I Left My Job to be a Stay At Home Mom
If you follow me on any of my social media platforms, you know that in June of this year, I quit my job to be a stay-at-home-mom of my school-aged children. Now let’s talk about why.
Let’s start at the beginning. I had a great job making, really decent money but felt a longing for something that was not being fulfilled. My bucket was empty.
- I wanted to spend more time with my family.
- I wanted to wake up in the morning and have a manageable to-do list a few items that needed to be done instead of a list that built up over the week and leaving my weekends packed and me exhausted for the next week.
- I wanted to eat more home cooked balanced meals, and sit down and enjoy dinner with my family. Not
- I wanted to be able to meditate, read, journal, take walks, all without checking my phone constantly for incoming emails.
- I wanted to be present for my family and less anxious in general.
- I wanted to make money while having fun.
- I wanted to rest.
All these thoughts that swirled around in my mind all narrowed down to one single desire: I want a more balanced, slower-paced life. Yeah, I needed to figure out just how to do just that. After much praying and soul searching, I knew what I needed to do. I needed to quit my job. Oh, and I needed to break it to my husband that I wanted to leave a weekly 4 figure paycheck to pursue peace of mind.
Becoming a SAHM is a big decision and can big a huge lifestyle change, so I prayed again. I then brought it up to my husband. And shockingly enough, he thought it was a great idea. So we devised a plan for me to quit my job and become a stay-at-home mom. Living on one income always takes some adjusting and is not always possible for every family. You have to take control of your finances and learn how to really budget and save money. It sounds crazy but we tested it out. For six months we saved my entire paycheck in a savings account and only lived off the income from my husband’s business.
This allowed us to see if it was possible for me to leave my job to be a stay at home mom in this season of our lives and it gave a considerable amount of savings. That helped us put a down payment on building our dream home. (Yes, we did that on one income. It takes loads of planning.)
Stay At Home Mom of School-Aged Children
I had been a stay-at-home mom once before, right after my middle child was born. It made sense for us at that time. My children were babies and they needed me around. There was so much to be done. School enrollments, drop-offs, pickups, potty training, etc… the list was endless.
But this time is different. All three of my children are in school full-time. How would I fill my days? Cooking, running errands and doing chores all day? Yes, that’s definitely part of it. But my existence is so much bigger than re-arranging the snacks in bins in the pantry. Yeah, I did that today. 😉
Let me be very clear.
Raising my children is one of the most rewards things I will ever do in life. I am blessed to be here each morning to help them greet the day and send them off in the mornings with breakfast and hugs and kisses from me. I am here to pick them up from school each afternoon and hear all about what they did that day. I grateful that I can be home to make them a home cooked meal each night and kneel beside their beds each evening to pray and kiss them goodnight. I love that I am available to go on school field trips and bake goodies for their class. Time is such a finite resource and once it’s once spent, there is no recovering it. So I am choosing to spend my time being available to my family. I am blessed beyond belief to be able to do so. I know so many other parents long to be able to do the same.
But there is another side to this coin.
But are not my top priority.
Yes, I am a mother but beyond being a mother, I am a woman, a human being. So having something beyond motherhood is very important. Now that I am home doing what I love, I figured I would begin to write all about the things I love and maybe help others in the process. I started this lifestyle blog. I had been a blogger before so I knew that blogging was something that could be turned into a career and I would still be able to work on my terms and be available for my family when they need me. I love being able to take my passion and turn it into a career. I love being able to set the example for my children that if you work hard you can achieve your goals and fill your bucket at the same time. I mean honestly, my cup runneth over.
Once again, families are wonderfully unique so there is no right or wrong decision as to if you are a stay at home mom, work at home mom or a mom that works outside of the home. Don’t put yourself in a box and feel like you have to be just one, I’ve been each of these at one point or another. For me it’s always about gauging the season I’m in and making the right decisions for that time in my life. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you are making the best decision for both yourself and your family. You’ve got this mama.
