In March when the pandemic started gaining traction, my employer started asking people to stay home to work. It was a feeling of both relief and gratitude.
It was an easy couple of months working from home since my husband’s employer cut their hours. He was able to stay home more to keep the kids out of my hair while I was on the clock. We also decided to take our two children out of daycare to avoid exposure. We all know daycares are full of runny noses and germs, unfortunately.
Once summer hit, we started thinking that this pandemic wasn’t going away anytime soon.
I’ve always wanted to stay home with my children during their growing years so as not to miss anything important and memorable, but I always thought it would never be attainable since we basically lived paycheck to paycheck. One day my husband became SUPER stressed. He was trying to juggle the kids, and things at work were very chaotic, even from home}. His birthday was coming up so I asked him what he wanted.
He looked at me and said, “I want you to quit your job and stay home with the kids.” I was not expecting that!
I’m beyond lucky to have a partner that is uber supportive and wants to see me happy.
He definitely follows the “happy wife, happy life” logic. We figured that since we had paid off all of our debt, weren’t spending half our pay on childcare, and because of the scariness and uncertainty of the pandemic, that now was the time to just try me staying home. To rip off the band-aid and just try to live off one paycheck. And if it didn’t work out for me to stay home, I’d look for another job. No biggie.
We worked some numbers, asked our financial advisor, got advice from some close family, and decided to give it a go. We thought “when will this chance ever happen again? They are only so little for so long.”
In June, I put in my two weeks notice at work and felt such an overwhelming happy feeling. I knew I’d work another day in the future but to leave behind a {sometimes} stressful job to get the chance to stay home with my kids was definitely a gift and I told myself I’d soak up every moment; not many people get this chance.
Fast-forward to today – it’s been a few months and it’s been challenging to say the least. I now have a different appreciation for childcare workers. It’s exhausting. Some days I feel like ripping my hair out but, at the same time, I wouldn’t trade it in for the world.
Some people ask “don’t you miss going to work?” I miss some of my coworkers, yes. But I’d rather have the stress of my beautiful babies than work stress, that’s a 100 percent fact. I’m officially the full-time snack-getter, diaper changer, and meltdown manager.
It’s not glamourous like some people imagine. Leggings, sports bras, and dry shampoo are my stay-st-home go-tos.
I definitely haven’t found my SAHM groove yet. I don’t cook all the meals or make all the crafts, but I’m trying and it’ll get easier and better. For now, all that matters is watching our children grow and making memories with them.
So, thank you pandemic, for pushing us to take a risk during such a trying, crazy time.
