Ducks in a Row: The Life of a Stay At Home Mom

This post is part of a series I did about a year ago about being a Stay at Home mom. ?I am re-posting it today.

I have been a stay at home mom since my oldest was born, about 10 years ago.??I graduated college with a degree in elementary education and taught kindergarten and first grade for several years before I started having babies.? I loved teaching - I still do.? AND, I think I was pretty good at it!? BUT, the whole time I was teaching, I just wanted to be on the mommy side!? That is where my heart is!?

Biggest reward of being a SAHM?

You know when your child is trying something new and they get it?? There is a split second when they glance at you to see if you are watching.? Catching those glances is a huge reward!? Sometimes, when I am downstairs making breakfast in the kitchen, I can hear footsteps coming down the stairs.? Knowing exactly which child that is without seeing them is a reward.? I'm not sure I can label the biggest reward!? Simply put, it's knowing who my child is and being able to be with them!

Biggest reward for you or your family having you as a SAHM?

I think the biggest reward is the security and confidence it gives my children.?They know I am around and have chosen to be with them over anything else!? They know I used to teach school and gave it up to be with them!? They also know that there is no other place I'd rather be.? How reassuring would that be to know there is someone out there who loves you so much that she didn't want to miss part of your life?!

Do you work from home now or have a side business or craft?

I do - I teach about 12 piano students a week out of my home.? My students know, however, that I am a mommy first and will most likely be holding a child, or answering their questions during the lesson.? I have been teaching piano for about 12 years and my children don't really know any different.? They usually just play during the lessons.

?What do you miss about not working, if at all??

I miss the students!? I still have several that I receive Christmas cards from!

Was it a hard decision to leave the working world or was it the obvious choice all along?

For our family, it was kind of a given that I would stay home.? My husband and I had several walks before we were even married where we talked about our future.? It has always been part of my plan.? There have been many sacrifices made in order for us to do this.? I'm blessed with a hard working husband who has a fantastic job, but there are still monetary cuts that we have to make and that we choose to make.

?

One of my favorite quotes from Harold B. Lee says "Today I feel that women are becoming victims of the speed of modern living. It is in building their motherly intuition and that marvelous closeness with their children that they are enabled to tune in upon the wavelengths of their children and to pick up the first signs of difficulty, of danger and distress, which if caught in time would save them from disaster. To the sisters, this means they must make a career of motherhood. They must let nothing supersede that career!"? I do feel that there is a difference between just being at home with your children and making? a career of motherhood!? I know our family has been blessed in countless ways from our choice to stay at home!

Source: http://www.ducksinarowblog.com/2012/08/the-life-of-stay-at-home-mom.html

manson bubba watson recent earthquakes fbi most wanted list stuttering james van der beek dyngus day