The Perks and Perils of being a SAHM

The Perks and Perils of being a SAHM

   

          First of all, what is a SAHM? SAHM means Stay At Home Mom. Being a SAHM means the mom stays home and minds the kids and the house. It's a 24/7 job. It's the same as the term homemaker. My hubby calls me the glorified yaya. 

     Being a mom is probably the hardest job a woman can have, but it is also the most fulfilling. There is no other job in the world that will make a woman feel like the queen of the world and like the iceberg that sank the titanic at the same time. There are a lot of ups and downs in the journey of motherhood and every journey is unique. I found some common raves and rants between moms I know and I've listed them alternately below.

Perk 1:

          You are always with your kid. You get to spend all day with them and see all the milestones they reach. You get to choose what parenting style you will apply first-hand and see that style be followed everyday. You have tons of bonding time with your kid, spending all your waking and sleeping time with them.

Peril 1:

          You are always with your kid. You have no me-time because your kid wants to be with you every second of the day. Baths are a luxury and coffee-book mornings are a thing of the past. Your kid is stuck to you from morning until night and the only thing that keeps them quiet is your carrying them.

Perk 2:

           More time to wear your baby and breastfeed. You have the excuse to buy all the carriers since you're home alone and need the use of both hands while needing to breastfeed and hug your tyke at the same time. You have the excuse of just putting up your feet and feeding for 1-2 hours or until baby falls asleep, and no one can disturb you.

Peril 2:

          Baby being strapped on to you and feeding all the time means less housework can be done. Say hello to a dirty house and dishes stacked in the sink. The washing needs to be done on the sly and quietly at that. Cooking and cleaning means you have to master the back carry, but everything stops when baby needs a feed.

Perk 3:

         No need to hire a yaya so the household budget is smaller and may be allocated for other necessities (more carriers maybe?) The budget may be given over to more vacations and more holidays. The amount you would be paying a helper could go towards funding a hobby like baking or sewing. No horror stories about yayas mistreating the kids too.

Peril 3:

           A single income household might work for some and might not for others. It all depends of the single income is enough to fund for the necessities of daily living so talk this out with your partner first.

         The perks and perils I mentioned above are all subjective and may be up for discussion. These are just some things I've observed from SAHMs like me. There are some moms who prefer to work at the office or at home and there are those who like to focus on their kiddos. What may work for me may not work for you so take my stories with a grain of salt. Being a SAHM is not as easy at it looks but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Except maybe for a long soak in a tub. Nah, not even then.