How I Learned to Thoroughly Enjoy Being a Stay at Home Mom.....and You Can Too!

I am a stay at home mom. Wow, this is someplace I never thought I'd be. I have two boys ages two and four. The are my pride and joy! I love being home with them and seeing them all day. I am constantly amazed at the things they do and say - and how quickly they learn. They are like sponges - truly - and constantly absorb the world around them.

Still, I kind of "fell" into being a stay at home mom. I was working full time at a job I hated, and one day I'd had enough. I quit and then found out I was pregnant. That made it hard to find another job as you might imagine! Boy, did we struggle. We had no savings, and my husband was not making a lot of money working construction. Goodness... I had so much guilt from not contributing to our income, especially when we couldn't even make ends meet! I cried and prayed, and worried and then cried some more.

That was in 2002, and our oldest son was born in early 2003. Even after he was born, I still had a lot of guilt. Thankfully my husband found a better paying job, and things on the money front took a definite upward swing. And let me tell you - the first time I saw my little boy smile, I knew there was no other place for me to be! My friends and family undoubtedly thought I'd lost my mind because I called them constantly singing the praises of my wonderfully amazing child.

Things sailed along smoothly for us until our second son was born. My oldest had a very hard time with the newest member of the family. I suddenly felt very out of control, and just couldn't get myself together. Our days were chaos, supper was rarely cooked and most days we were still in our pajamas when Daddy got home from work. What had happened to me? To our family?

I was short-tempered with the boys and just generally unbearable to be around. I was miserable, and feeling sorry for myself. I didn't long to be out working, but here's what had happened:

I'd convinced myself that I was unloved, disrespected, and "trapped" at home with the kids.