When someone asks me who I am I always respond with: a wife and stay at home mom. It’s who I am. My life and occupation.
I’ll admit that I haven’t always been super excited to say that I am just a stay at home mom but I’ve learned some things along the way that helped me change my perspective…
My Background
If someone one told me at my high school graduation that I would be where I am at today I would not believe them. My dreams of being an Ivy League College graduate living in Los Angeles in a glamorous mansion while I planned extravagant weddings quickly turned into reality after high school. I was born and raised in New York City and my parents worked really hard for our family and to provide for my brothers and me. My parents were able to put us in private school and worked hard to keep us educated and accomplished.
I was accepted to every college I applied for but my family fell into that “middle-class sweet spot” where my hard-working parents earned too much income for me to qualify for financial assistance but didn’t quite make enough to afford the million-dollar colleges of my dreams. After all, I did have 2 other siblings who needed to go to college too!
But it all worked out! I attended a vocational school, loved what I was studying and loved that I was making a difference. I met my husband at this college- so looking back now I’m so grateful that I didn’t attend my dream college because I wouldn’t have met my dream husband and have my beautiful daughter. I worked hard at online business classes and became a registrar of a school managing 4 departments and directing several events.
Fast Forward To Now
When I found out I was pregnant I was teaching 12th grade in a private school in New York City and finishing up my business degree. I tried so hard to power through my morning sickness- like all day sickness- but I ended up experiencing a miscarriage and it was devastating. (You can read more about my miscarriage story here.)
I got pregnant again 4 months later and this pregnancy was soo much smoother! But I was battling with high blood pressure from all of the water retention and I eventually had to stop working in my 8th month of pregnancy. I successfully delivered my beautiful daughter and everything in me longed to stay at home with her and care for her while she grew. I went from never wanting to be a “mom who just stays home” to longing to being a stay at home mom. So I decided not to return to work and my husband was blessed with a new job that allowed me to be a stay at home mom!
5 years ago, the words “stay at home mom” scared me. I was a professional woman- a woman with a million lists and a huge agenda. I thought I would never give up all of my hard work in becoming a respected, established businesswoman to stay at home with my kids. In theory, this sounded crazy to me!
My plan was to take maternity leave, return to work after the 10 weeks and convince my mom to babysit for me. But the moment I saw my little girl emerge into this world and felt her skin on my chest I was melted forever. At that moment I knew I would give up anything and everything in this world to be able to tend to her, take care of her and watch her grow day in and day out.
That’s not to say that I will never return to work, but for right now, this is what is best for my particular family. And ever woman has a right to make her own choice about what is best for her family!
Loving Who I Am
My life may not have turned out how I expected but I wouldn’t change it for the world. When I identify myself as a wife and stay at home mom I have a purpose- I love who I am and who I’ve become. It may be different than what I expected but that just gives me a reason to love my life all the more! I’m not only a mom- I’ve learned to be a mastering mom!
Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams- and if down the road they change, just go with the flow and pursue what you love to do with confidence!
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