5 Things Moms Going Back to Work Need to Know

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I was a stay at home mom for 10 years. When I became a stay at home mom (SAHM), I didn’t plan on staying home for as long as I did, but I unexpectedly kept having kids and I built a few small businesses. Even though my small businesses were doing well, now that my kids were in school, I knew that it was time for me to seek work outside of the house.

Read ‘What No One Tells You About Reentering the Work Force‘

When I was finally blessed with a job, I immediately had moments of panic. My family relied on me for so many things. My kids grew up with me available to them for every bump and owie and knew that there would be after school snacks ready for them when they got off of the bus. As I prepared myself for the outside work world, I couldn’t stop thinking and wondering how everyone and everything was going to survive with me gone, but soon after starting my job, I realized that everything was going to be okay.

5 Things Moms Going Back to Work Need to Know

1. Your house will get messy! When I was home all day, I was pretty good at keeping the main part of the house ‘presentable’. I was able to clean up throughout the day and stay on top of the kids when they started to make a mess. Now that I work outside of the home, my house is not as ‘presentable’ as it was before. What I have learned is that life goes on. I delegate cleaning and tell myself that I’d rather spend my time after work resting and hanging out with my family. If anything else, if my house gets too messy, I can always hire a professional.
2. Your mornings may not always run smooth but they can. I am lucky because on most days my husband takes my girls to school. In an effort to help his morning go smoothly before I leave for work, I make sure that my girl’s lunches are packed and that my youngest child has her clothes ready. Having a plan and being prepared will help your mornings go smoother.
3. Your spouse can do more than you think. As the kid’s mom, I have always been the one that has made sure their hair was brushed, their teeth were clean, their homework was completed, along with everything else that needed to be taken care of. Before I started my job, I was so worried about who was going to brush my daughter’s hair and then one day my husband sent me the cutest picture of my child waiting to go to school. Her hair was brushed and she had on a cute headband. It was that moment that I realized that my husband was not useless! I never knew he could brush and style my 6-year old’s hair. It was quite a beautiful moment.
4. Your kids will miss you less than you think. I started my job in the summer. For the past 8 or so years, I had my summers off, so my girls were accustomed to having fun in the summer and going on mini adventures. When they realized that I would be working full-time, they were upset and gave me a big case of the ‘mommy guilt’s’. These ‘guilt’s’ were short-lived because when I would come home from a long day of work, my kids would barely acknowledge me. I was hoping I’d walk in the front door and be knocked down with children hugging me. Nope, it didn’t happen. They would barely take the time to look up from their computers to say ‘Hello’.
5. It feels good to focus on you. For 10 years, I primarily focused on my kids and rarely on myself. When I finally started working outside of the home, I discovered how good it felt to be in the outside world focusing on me, for once. As much as I love my family, I love the feeling of self-accomplishment.

If you are a mom that stayed home to raise your kids or build a home business and you are planning on seeking employment outside of your home, I hope that you will push away any fears that you might have and realize that it’s important to take care of you and put yourself first.

Do you have experience going back to work after staying home to raise your kids?

You may also enjoy:

5 Tips on Transitioning to Working Outside the Home 

5 Mistakes Stay at Home Moms Make

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