After endless deliberation (by me), numbers crunching (by Will), soul-searching (me, again), and philosophical and social politics discussions (by both), Will and I have finally come to the realization that at this point in our careers and our children's lives, we are better served with me being at home full time. Yes, that's right; a phrase I NEVER thought I would apply to myself - "stay at home mother" (or the dreaded acronym "SAHM" which for whatever reason annoys me). I have always prided myself on having a top law school education, using my degree for the betterment of society ("I practice family law. I help children and their parents cope with divorce") and having an incredible home life. I also secretly knew that working fulltime was the easy way out - parenting is much harder than practicing law. Period. And of course there was the ultimate dream of becoming the lawyer that my step-father Frank is now - a top practitioner in his field who is much more focused on the ends of justice than on his own piggybank. A true family lawyer.
But the truth is, my family was suffering for the sake of those I was helping. I was forced to miss doctors appointments (annual and emergency), Mother's Day and other celebrations at preschool, breakfast times, bedtimes and many, many other special times. So, for reasons that I am certain I will talk about later, I have made my announcement at work and am preparing for the next great challenge in my life - HOME!
One rare and recent evening (rare in that Will and I were both at home and functioning well enough to talk), I joked that now that I would be at home full time, I needed to start a blog. My better half's eyes lit up when he said, "Absolutely! You can do that now!" So, here I am.
More later on all fronts. Until then, here are some of the wonderful people that influenced my decision:
My beautiful girl
My handsome boy
The gruesome twosome
My ever-patient husband.
As of March 15th, I will be AT HOME. Have a great weekend everyone!
Congratulations, Lucy! I know this is a hard decision to make and there will be challenges, but I am so excited for you. Your children are beautiful and I know you will enjoy them! One word of advice from a fellow stay-at-home mom or full-time mom as I like to call myself--join a moms group in the area so you have other moms to talk to and your children have playdates to go to. I know it's made my life so much easier when I've had a good group of moms to hang out with on a regular basis. Good luck and enjoy!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Lucy! I am very envious of you. I am sincerely hoping that by the time Travis and I decide to have a second child, I will be able to do the same. I am having a difficult enough time balancing work/home with 1 child. I definately think you made the right call. :)
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