Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Being a Stay at Home Mom

So I have made the decision and it's official as of yesterday that I am not going back to World Vision. Micah will have to put up with me all day everyday! It was something I was going back and forth in my mind because I want the best care for my baby, but it was hard for me to give up that aspect of my life. I enjoy working. I enjoy doing a job well, and being appreciated for what I can offer. Being a mother is THE most important job I could ever have, but there's something different about going to a job amongst peers and having that competitive edge to do the best job you can do. I've noticed, for me, that recoginition is an important part of being in the workforce, and I vainly love to be praised for a job well done. Being a mother is often thankless, and you don't see the results of your hard labor for a long, long time. But, it sure is rewarding watching a tiny baby grow and develop, and I'm sure it will be even more rewarding watching him turn into a fun-loving boy and young man. I like working, but I love my son!

I need to make a point to get out of the house every day, whether it's going for a walk or to the store, or visiting with friends... or having friends in. Otherwise, while Micah is still a baby, I can get into the bad habit of staying in my comfy clothes most of the day.

David has shown me some things to do for his business, so I have started learning how to update some of his client's Intranets as well as helping a bit with billing. Soon he will be showing me how to update their websites. It's great to be able to have the choice whether or not I want to work, and also to have an option of working from home. World Vision may eventually be able to accomodate people working from home, but for now, this works well because it frees David up to be able to do more important things for his clients. It's great to be able to do this work from home, but another thing I will miss about working, besides the fact that it was World Vision and I could feel really good about what we're doing around the world, I will miss the friends I made there. I am thankful that a bunch of us still get together for a book club about twice a month, so I am still able to see some of them.

One of the things I am grateful for with being at home is being able to enjoy and celebrate the tiniest moments in my baby's life: his first smile, his laughter, his holding his head up and rolling over for the first time (which just happened, from his back to his front, on Friday!). Probably only those mothers of small babies who read this blog can understand and appreciate how fun it is to celebrate these tiny milestones in the lives of our babies.

Micah has recently been sick (again) with a sore throat, a cough and a stuffy nose, so this is another reason why I am glad to be home with him, and not have to balance finding a sitter, or calling in sick to work.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey Cheri,

I'm sure this must have been a hard decision but it sounds like you are happy with your decision. I find being a sahm very rewarding even though there are days when I wish I had a "grown up" job. :)
/Shannon

Cheri said...

Hey Shannon,
I don't know why it was such a hard decision for me to make. I guess I kind of felt like I was letting them down at World Vision, or something. But, as David says, I'm just prioritizing my life, and I think it will only get better and better as I'm home with Micah. I'm really enjoying every minute of it! I couldn't imagine handing him off to someone else to watch while I go to work, especially since I don't bring in that much.

I'm very thankful, also, that I have a great network of SAHMs in the area that I'm friends with, so we can get together often to hang out.

LJE said...

Hey Cheri!

You have a beautiful boy and a great looking family! Glad we found each other again and are able to reconnect.

I imagine i'll be coming to people like you and Shannon in about a year when i face the same decision you just went through...

Anonymous said...

Hi Cheri... I can totally relate! You put into words a lot of what I feel. And, yes, there are challenges, but as you know, the joys and benefits far outweigh them. I'm thankful to be a stay at home mom, all the while I continue to find my new niche in the community. I know it will come with time! I love all your pic.s too... he's so adorable! Lindsay Regan