by Deb Lowther
Long before I was a Mom or had even met my husband, I knew I wanted to be at home with my kids. I am not sure why. I didn’t have any idea how I would afford to stay home or if I would even enjoy it, I just knew that I would.
In my 20’s I had a full on career and then in my 30’s when I became a mom, I knew I would be staying home, but I didn’t stop working. My full time job became 30 hours a week of contract work. I was a busy stay at home working mom of 1 and in less that 2 years became a crazy stay at home working mom of 2. Breastfeeding a baby during conference calls and tickling a toddler playing under my desk became the daily routine!
When my 3rddaughter was born I knew I was done working for a while. I was a mom of 3 kids under 4 at home with not only no daycare, but also a travelling husband and my main source of help, my mom, now busy caring for my ailing father. My world was made up of kids, feedings, snacks, laundry, naps, diaper changes, doctors appointments, chemo with my Dad, groceries, play dates and cleaning up after play dates.
It was everything I wanted and more than I could handle all at the same time.
I took 3 kids to all our doctors appointments, all our dentist appointments, all kids activities, groceries and errands; everywhere I needed to go, 3 kids had to come with me. I taught my children that we were a team and we travelled as a team; listening to Mom was rule #1. They learned to kind of sit still at the doctors, always hold on to the stroller in parking lots and be a little patient at the grocery store. I learned to pack snacks & on-the-go activities like a pro, change a diaper on my lap, make lunch with a baby in one arm, a toddler around my leg and a 3 year old crying because Barney is not magically appearing on TV. It wasn’t always pretty, but it did get easier as we all grew older together!
My kids may have seen me at my worst, but I have seen them at their best. They have enjoyed more time at home, more special days with mom, and I was there for all their naptime stories and potty training attempts. I had time to teach all 3 of my girls how to swim, how to skate, how to ski, how to bake, how to read, write, count and how to put on nail polish. Being home allowed me those opportunities and as the first day of Grade1 arrived this past September for my last “baby”, I was sad to see them all off in school full time . . .but also so happy that I was able to enjoy time with them at home all these years.
When I choose to stay home . . . I choose a lot more hours of kids tears, of whining, of arguing, of cleaning, and of constant companions for every errand, hours of smiles, of laughs, of memories, and snuggles. It wasn’t always an easy 10 years at home, but now that my toddlers are school kids, I’m thankful for the time we had.
May you enjoy every moment, no matter which path you choose!
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