For the past nine years, I’ve been an active stay-at-home mom. I’ve been there for the diapers and breastfeeding, first words and first steps, the pull-ups to undies, the preschool drops offs and play dates, and all the milestones in between. I’ve lived out the long days and the short years. And now after all the hard work and preparing, they are both in school FULL TIME! This is a new stage for me and I’m slowly falling into a routine. There are moments of great joy: “I’m alone!” and great sadness: “I miss my kids.” Below, I’m sharing a list of pros and cons of being a stay-at-home mom to school-age kids!
Pros
- Privacy! There are no visitors in the bathroom!
- Freedom! I can do things for myself! When I want, what I want, how I want!
- Coffee Date! After we get the kids off to school, my husband and I sit and enjoy our morning together before he goes to work.
- Quiet! I can sit and finish a thought.
- Projects! I’ve finished so many little projects that I’m not able to do while the kids are at home, like throw all the broken toys away in the playroom, or clean out the junk drawer.
- Friend time! I have some great friends who are at the same point in life and we go tootle around town and run our errands together!
- Kidless lunch dates! A friend and I decided to grab a quick lunch. We ran into Chick-fil-a and sat at a table by ourselves and ate, laughed, and enjoyed each other company!
- Clean House! My house is clean 80% of the time now!
- Calm house! Instead of being rushed to get everything done, I can now leisurely prepare the house for the kids. I’ve found having a calm house when the kids arrive home is easier for them to focus in.
- Pay raise! I’m not paying for preschool anymore! WOOHOO!
- My kids are happy to see me and appreciate the things I do while they are at school. (They don’t’ have to make grocery store runs anymore and they are thrilled!)
Cons
- I don’t love being alone.
- Inefficient time management. In the beginning, I wasn” properly managing my time and wasn’t getting all my work done at home, just playing with my friends. I’m learning to balance this!
- I miss my kids.
- I overcommitted to things. Right away I became a room mom (which I love), I joined the PTA, and I’m serving on a committee at the school, on top of all the activities we were already doing!
However, I did the time and now I am being rewarded for it! The good has outweighed the bad and I’m really enjoying this new stage. SAHMs of little ones, your time is coming! What do you look forward to doing when your kids are all in school?
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