One super stage at a time
November 19th 2008 12:33
This week I have finally confirmed that there is no need for me to be superwoman, and that being a stay-at-home mum is a REAL JOB.
I was made redundant in February, and at the time cheered about being able to spend the three month pay-out on staying at home with Isaac. Weeks later, after a few job interviews, the thought of going back to ten hour days, traffic from hell and the giant egos that are often attached to those in the sales & marketing field, I decided I’d be a full time mum while providing (mediocre) administrative support for hubby’s business and studying what I should have taken at uni - journalism.
Sounds perfect right? Perfect, apart from feelings of guilt, the notion that I was now fairly useless, plenty of “blah” days and the overwhelming need to justify myself and my situation whenever I spoke to old colleagues and friends. I was embarrassed to be “unemployed” and probably felt more guilty about not “working” than I did when I returned to work after maternity leave. Screwed up priorities anyone??
Why is it that we put so much pressure on ourselves to be a super career woman, super mum, super wife and super everything else - all at the same time?
After months of slowly settling into this stage of my life, I can finally recognize my career so far for what it was…a fabulous STAGE of my life. I’ve worked my way up the ladder, had 15 years of perks, overseas trips, free stuff, and the satisfaction of doing a good job and enjoying the confidence that comes with it.
Now I’m at a STAGE where I’m far from high flying but have different kinds of perks such as two-year-old kisses and cuddles on tap, time to cook a decent meal, zero road rage, zero executive stress and the satisfaction of having a gorgeous well behaved little boy and a happy, relaxed household.
Rather than feeling guilty about staying at home, I am feeling very lucky that I have the opportunity to do so. So we won’t be buying a house anytime soon, and restaurant meals would be out of the question even if Isaac would sit still for more than 10 minutes at a time. I wouldn’t trade my time with the little monster for all the money (or perks) in the world.
Life is super!
I was made redundant in February, and at the time cheered about being able to spend the three month pay-out on staying at home with Isaac. Weeks later, after a few job interviews, the thought of going back to ten hour days, traffic from hell and the giant egos that are often attached to those in the sales & marketing field, I decided I’d be a full time mum while providing (mediocre) administrative support for hubby’s business and studying what I should have taken at uni - journalism.
Sounds perfect right? Perfect, apart from feelings of guilt, the notion that I was now fairly useless, plenty of “blah” days and the overwhelming need to justify myself and my situation whenever I spoke to old colleagues and friends. I was embarrassed to be “unemployed” and probably felt more guilty about not “working” than I did when I returned to work after maternity leave. Screwed up priorities anyone??
Why is it that we put so much pressure on ourselves to be a super career woman, super mum, super wife and super everything else - all at the same time?
After months of slowly settling into this stage of my life, I can finally recognize my career so far for what it was…a fabulous STAGE of my life. I’ve worked my way up the ladder, had 15 years of perks, overseas trips, free stuff, and the satisfaction of doing a good job and enjoying the confidence that comes with it.
Now I’m at a STAGE where I’m far from high flying but have different kinds of perks such as two-year-old kisses and cuddles on tap, time to cook a decent meal, zero road rage, zero executive stress and the satisfaction of having a gorgeous well behaved little boy and a happy, relaxed household.
Rather than feeling guilty about staying at home, I am feeling very lucky that I have the opportunity to do so. So we won’t be buying a house anytime soon, and restaurant meals would be out of the question even if Isaac would sit still for more than 10 minutes at a time. I wouldn’t trade my time with the little monster for all the money (or perks) in the world.
Life is super!
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