I've come to the conclusion that I'm not good at this stay-at-home Mom thing. I love, love, love being part of a bigger machine that produces a finite goal in which there is recognition. Yeah, NOT what you get at home with repetitive tasks and constant needs with less than gracious receipt.
Which means only one thing.....I need to get inspired!
How do I go about doing that?
I agree with you whole-heartedly! I still struggle with feeling like what I am doing is important, especially when I don't meet the expectations of my husband. I have to say that this week the Spirit has taught me a thing or two about gratitude. I have been thinking about going back to school but in order to do that I have to put my kids back in a public school, which I don't want to do. I sat and thought about all the things that I would be taking away from our family that we have been enjoying by having them schooling at home. I became very bogged down with selfishness as I reflected. I then read an article from Latter-DayHomeschooling.com titled "strength of character vs strength of will". I have been struggling with my 5 yr old which brought me to the article, but what I came away with was a better understanding of my important roll in raising Gods children. At face value, the article doesn't apply to you because your kids are not homeschooled, BUT if you read it with your spiritual eyes as a mom who is the ultimate teacher anyway, you will see the beauty of your calling. MOTHERHOOD. Remember you were prepared for this a long, long time ago. Remember who you are and all things will be taught. Love you, Teresa
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain but in a different way. I have been a stay at home mom for 21 years. I have recently gone back to work full time and I hate it with a depth of feelings I have not felt in a long time. But the money is wonderful I love being able to help provide for my family in a different way.
ReplyDeleteI also know how you feel about the lack of recognition and no appreciation for doing the same task over and over again. There were days where I wondered why I even bothered being a stay at home mom, nothing I did appeared to inspire me or even make me feel like I was making a difference in the world. I would cry at night sometimes because I felt that I was not fulfilling my life and just wising the years away with nothing to show for it.
Fast foreword now and I look at my children and see how wonderful they have turned out. Not that they are perfect by any stretch of the mind but they are well rounded and well adjusted to face the world.
I recommend being involved in outside activities at least once a week a book club a hobby even a night class on something you have always wanted to learn about. That is what I did and I felt wonderful I had the best of both worlds I stayed home and guided my children and I got out and interacted with adults at the same time increasing my knowledge and talents the Lord has given me. Volunteering is also a wonderful way to help you feel like you are being a productive part of society.
Even though your family may not tell you how much they appreciate what you are doing now they will one day.
Set goals for yourself and when you accomplish them celebrate. I completely understand. When Nessa was born and I quit work, yeah, not fun. Now that it was necessary for me to go back to work, life is crazy. At times I wonder, what if I needed to stay home again, not sure I could do it.
ReplyDeleteRemember that it's all about the tittle! I never, never call myself a homemaker. I hate it. I hate to admit it, but I can't think of it without a degrading feeling :(
ReplyDeleteFrom the moment that I started to stay home, all I wanted was to go back to work. I also wanted to stay with my baby but there was an emptiness that I thought it could only be fulfilled by the work environment. Six months after staying home, I took a part time job that was only on the weekends. While at first, it gave me that (adult) social interaction that I was looking for, I noticed that I still felt empty... it wasn't until I was pregnant with my second (4 years later) that I realized that I just had to redefine my "Title" and do of it what fit me best.
So yeah, I'm a stay at home mom to people but to my family I'm in charge of all our finances, our nutrition, welfare, education, and entertainment. I also offer consulting, counseling and nursing services. I pay myself with Book club, girls night out, shopping allowances and various leisure activities, thank you(s) are always welcome too (family knows this)
Start writing your short term and long term goals. Also remember to write down what activities/things make you happy. Try to see how you can combine all of it into a one "big picture" and set up milestones to make it happen!
You can do it girl!
You guys are awesome! Thanks so much for sharing the inspiration that you have received and giving me words of encouragement. Things have started to get better and I think that over time, I will continue to improve. I was just hoping it would continue to be awesome, like it was this summer. :)
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