stay-at-home-mom

 

 

 

What Will I Be?
By Cheryl Kremer

After twenty years of working full-time, I found myself with an opportunity to quit my job and be a stay-at-home mom. As I faced this decision, I felt the stirrings of longing to be more of a mother than a career woman. My seven-year-old daughter and four-year-old son had grown up in the daycare system since they were both six-weeks old. At the time, I never felt any regret in handing my children over to them each morning. I had a great job that I loved and had worked my way up to being the Assistant to the Vice-President of Sales at an Internet company.

I decided to resign and begin my new job as a full-time mom, but it felt strange to lose this part of my identity. The first time I needed to fill out an application for online banking, I came to the line that asked my occupation. I stared at it, not wanting to write “N/A.” Ultimately, I threw the application away, rather than label myself as a “non-worker.” I continued to struggle with this feeling. However, after a few months of waiting at the bus stop, volunteering in the classroom, and making good dinners, I began to get into the whole idea. My daughter was in school, but my son Cobi was with me all day. For the first time in his life, I was all his. We rollerbladed, took walks, played soccer and made crafts. He thrived on this alone time with me and I began to see what I had missed.

One day as we kicked the ball in the park, Cobi looked up at me and said, “Mommy, do you know what I want to be when I grow up?”

“A professional soccer player?” I asked.

“No,” he smiled at me. “I want to be a stay-at-home mom.”

My heart melted. I’ve never looked back since.