Stay at Home Parenting: The Struggle is Real
Being a parent in general is hard work. Yes I said it, “work.” Because it is. I have noticed a lot of mom shaming going around and I am seeing it more aimed towards those of us who choose to stay at home and parent. I have heard so many say how it is the easiest and laziest life to live and I beg to differ. Before I had my first kid I had already made up my mind to be a stay at home mom because I wanted to be a hands on kind of mom and I didn’t want to miss a thing and the thought of being a working mom and coming home too tired to clean the house and play with her kids didn’t sound too appealing. I was going to be that perfect little mom and house wife who always kept a clean house, made healthy meals, possibly homeschool and have the perfect routine unlike other moms. Pretty much my kid was going to work around my schedule. So having that thought I went the “easy way” and stayed home with my little angel.. until my first was born! Reality slapped me good and I can tell you now two kids later that I still don’t have set routine, frozen pizza is my favorite go to meal, laundry? I’ll get to it and my kids are going to public school cause mommy doesn’t have a proper functioning brain to think with anymore. The kids are the most needy when the house needs to be cleaned and when you get the time to clean you’re too drained to lift a finger. Combine both and your sanity is hanging by a thread. And even when you do clean you have both kids tearing up the previous room you just fixed up and find yourself cleaning the same room over and over again. Once your kids fall asleep you have the choice to either clean the house, take a shower and wash off the day or sleep and refresh yourself. Well, the house is a mess and needs to be cleaned but I stink and need a shower but I also need to make up for loss of sleep. Either way you go about it you either stink and are sleep deprived but finally have a clean house that you were being constantly judged on because it was a mess OR you are refreshed and feel a little human again but have a messy house and you are waiting for someone to comment about what a horrible house keeper you are. Being a stay at home parent may not be back breaking work but it is definitely hard and emotional draining work. And as I said before being a parent in general is hard whether you are a stay at home parent or a working parent. Both have their difficulties and both are rewarding. What matters is that we are the parents who strive to give the best of what we can for our kids even when we are drained. That’s what being a parent is about. Giving to your child what you didn’t have. So before you judge a stay at home parent OR a working parent please remember that both are hard jobs and that neither one means your a bad parent. You are providing for your kids either way you go about it. So stop shaming! May the good Lord Bless!
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