GUEST POST: Returning to the Work Force As a SAHM
I’m a stay-at-home-Mama (SAHM) who recently found herself a job.
Two projects, actually. They aren’t fulltime and they don’t take me out of my son’s playroom-home office very often. But for the first time since our son Will was born, I’m once again accountable to people who do not routinely throw spaghetti on the floor.
I love being home with our son. I love trips to the playground and post-nap snuggles. I love not having to schedule our daily explorations of Delhi around a 40-hour workweek. Having done two overseas moves now, I see the value in having one parent 100% available at home–at least for the first few months–to deal with all of the challenging transitions involved.
When my husband and I decided nearly 18 months ago that I would stay home to raise our son, I thought that decision hinged simply on whether I wanted to and whether we could afford it. I didn’t realize then that it was possible to be blissfully happy as a stay-at-home-Mama and yet so darn conflicted about it at the same time.
Parenthood is hard work whether you are staying home, going to an office or any combination thereof. And I’ve increasingly begun to wonder, just because I’m able to opt out of the workforce and stay home fulltime, does that really mean I should? (more…)
