After being a stay-at-home mom for more than six years, it’s time I retire from my SAHM mom era and go back to work.
Transitioning into this “next act” of motherhood is a beautiful, daunting, and deeply personal milestone. However, now that it’s officially been a month since I’ve entered my working mom era, here is what I’ve learned and how I’ve been navigating this new lifestyle change.
Why go back to work
Reaching the decision to retire from being a stay-at-home mom was such a big decision. As a mom of two, it’s a monumental shift not only for me, but for my family. I’ve been at home since I was pregnant with my oldest (who started kindergarten this year). I’ve gotten to a rhythm of freelancing during nap time or opposite my husband’s schedule, which has been working fine for us all of these years.
However, now that my youngest is turning three this summer, I’ve been itching to get back into the swing of things and work in corporate America again. At the beginning of the school year, we enrolled our youngest into a part-time three day a week preschool for the socialization aspect, to get him some practice listening to a teacher, and practice being in a school setting and being used to spending a few hours away from mama sometimes. Plus, mama needed a break too! Haha. That’s been working fine, however that made me realize it’s actually hard finding something to do in between those odd school hours, especially if you have to do school pick-up and drop-offs at different schools that start and end at different times. But, ultimately it’s the economy this year that really led us to speed up the process of me going back to work.
Navigating the daycare/school mom process
The motherhood that I know has been wrapped around doing everything around the kids’ schedule. Now that I’m having to go back to work, I’m realizing how it is such a big life adjustment not only for me, but for everyone.
We began our daycare search by asking friends and in mom groups, and looking at the state site for school ratings. From there, we booked tours and I watched how my kid reacted and interacted in certain settings. We found a school (and teacher) we felt really good about. He started a day or two before I did, and thankfully, he loved it and didn’t look back!
Finding a school-ready job
The first thing that I realized was that I had to get my résumé in order and figure out a way to explain a gap in my work history. Thankfully, I’ve been freelancing here and there throughout the years during nap time or just opposite my husband’s schedule so at least I have that to show for it.
I considered looking into shifts that would allow me to continue staying home during the day, but ultimately, I knew I really desired to stay in my same field and search for local opportunities that were a skills-alignment. I interviewed at a few different places until I found “the one.” I found something that was a four-minute drive from my daughter’s school (and we worked the same hours as a school day) so I could drop her off and still pick her up in a seamless transition.
A good thing about being a stay-at-home mom is that whenever you re-enter the workforce, you can be a lot more choosy and take your time throughout the process.
Time management
Time management at home now is a doozy. I now do a load of laundry a day and then spend my weekends having quality family time, going on outings, and catching up on chores like doing grocery pickup, meal prepping, and folding laundry while I find something to binge-watch.
Reflection…
Retiring from being a stay-at-home mom is not the end of our purpose; it is the start of a brand new chapter. I’ve given myself permission to mourn the end of this era, while also allowing myself to embrace the excitement I feel about rediscovering my own personal passions.
So let’s take a breath, celebrate the incredible foundation we’ve built for our family, and embrace the freedom of the journey ahead.
Have you gone through a similar transition or thinking about making this same lifestyle change? Share in the comments what your journey has been like for you.
