- submitted by W. Zarganis on 01/22/2009
I Don't Want to Be a SAHM, I Just Want to Stay Home!
By Wendy Zarganis
It's so hard being a Stay At Home Mom. Up at the crack of dawn, fixing breakfast for everyone (and sometimes on the go lunches), cleaning, organizing, chauffeuring the older kids to school, then entertaining the baby. Studies estimate that if the average SAHM received a salary it would be $134,000 annually from those duties that the SAHM selflessly completes each and every day.
One small thing, however, would make being a Stay at Home Mom easier. Just Stay At Home. Remove the "Mom" from the equation. Adopt the SAHM lifestyle but without the kid (adopted or otherwise). Become a Stay At Home.
The key to a successful SAH lifestyle is to develop a schedule and stick to it. Without the random interruption of kids and their eternal needs, you should be able to establish and maintain a satisfying SAH routine. It'll be tricky but worth it, knowing that you are staying at home just to be there. Studies estimate that if the average SAH received a salary it would be truly incalculable. You can't put a price on staying in your own home each and every day.
So get up with your spouse, fix a healthy breakfast, kick him off to work, and then get started. If you're the active-minded sort, the inherent stayathomeness of SAH could be hard to adjust to. Try Pilates or another stretchy sweaty workout. Exercise is a fun way to start your morning and tire yourself out a little so the day isn't as long.
You may even crave a nap afterwards. And while you work out, know that you're making a difference: by not having to drive a minivan to a job or to PTA meetings, soccer or swim practice, or anywhere, you're shrinking your carbon footprint. How admirable!
It's important to incorporate cleaning into your daily routine. There's a very fine line between SAH and SLOTH so let's keep it neat around the house.
Same goes for imposing limits on daytime television viewing. As important as it is to watch 16 consecutive episodes of "America's Next Top Model," (how can you follow it if you miss an episode?), someone may categorize you as lazy. That vicious tag hurts your fellow SAHs who are just trying to get by. So stay away from the TV - especially reality shows. Who wants to watch other people following their dreams anyway?
Many times Stay At Homes feel isolated; they spend all day not talking to anyone at all. If you are new to the SAH world, consider starting your own support group. Meet at a local café with other SAHs. (Take pride in the fact that you're not bothering the other patrons because your group is not blockading the window seats with a barrage of strollers and diaper bags, and of course, those pesky babies!)
No one will argue that SAH is a thankless lifestyle. Many women with jobs, kids, friends, motivation and social skills, will probably look down on you. Keep your head up. As long as you are an SAH in your own home and not loitering in theirs, who are they to say you need to get a life change your life.
Wendy Zarganis is a writer living in Las Vegas (the strip mall part, not the Strip part)....read more rants
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