As you all know, in 2016, I graduated from grad school and began my career as a high school teacher. I worked hard to get my teaching license and to get a job where I could make a difference in the lives of the young adults that I would get to teach. Then in late 2018, I got pregnant with our son, Carter, went on maternity leave at the end of the school year, and then anticipated returning to the classroom in January of 2020. But it didn’t happen. I didn’t return. Instead, I made a life and career choice to stay with my little man and be a working, stay at home mom.
SHOP THE POST:
exact Lion King baby set from Primark
In the months prior to my expected return date to teaching, I began getting panic attacks. My anxiety was through the roof thinking about putting my child in daycare and missing out on spending time with him during the day. Personally, I couldn’t fathom the thought of someone else spending more time with my child during his wakeful hours than I would be. I know that mothers do it all the time and I commend those that do, but I just couldn’t.
Each day I would talk to my husband about it, and he told me he would support me in whatever decision that I made. I began looking for jobs and applying to any one that said I could work remotely or jobs that had daycare within the work building. Then, about a month before my expected return date, one of my closest friends told me that she would talk to her boss about possibly offering me a job within the company that she worked for – which was a remote position.
I send my resume and crossed my fingers and accepted that if I didn’t get the job, then back to teaching it would be for me.
Fortunately, it all worked out and I was hired for the position and now I work from home and balance taking care of my son during the day.
I will admit that it has been quite a task to be a stay at home working mom. I’m still expected to work an 8 hour day and complete all the day-to-day administrative and marketing tasks that my position requires, but I also have to manage taking care of my son who requires more and more attention each day. Though, we will be making the change to have him in daycare part time when he turns 1 and the put into pre-school at age 3, it’s still a lot to manage each and every day. But, in all honesty, I don’t regret the change that I have made.
There’s a peace of mind that I was able to gain from not putting him in daycare before I was ready. And even though I am not pursuing the career I spent years studying for, I am finding happiness in doing what I want to do – and that is being able to spend time with my son each and every day.
I may, one day, return to teaching, or I may stay in the position that I am. And even more, maybe one day I’ll decide to go all in and invest in myself and be a full-time content creator. But for now, I am happy where I am being a stay at home working mom.
