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Moonfrye Family: Stay-at-Home Mommy Guilt by Mary Lauren Weimer
Source: lafujimama.com
For the five years I was a working mom, there were many times I’d fantasize about the day I’d be able to stay at home and focus entirely on my kids. I’d go to story hour at the library. Join a mother’s club. Bake all our bread. We’d finger paint and have sensory boxes and go on long morning walks, then return home to eat lunches I'd cut into the shapes of animals and sailboats. I’d volunteer at the school every other day. I’d be Room Mom for all three kids. PTO president. You get the idea.
Of course the reality isn’t exactly like the fantasy. I will confess:
- We haven’t been to the library in over a year.
- I did the Mother’s Club thing for a while but found myself too lazy for all those activities, such as Library Story Hour.
- Loaves of homemade bread are few and far between.
- What’s a sensory box?
In my stay-at-home mom fantasy, I was deflecting my Working Mommy Guilt by assuring myself that ONE DAY…one day I’d be the perfect mom. One day my kids would wake up sick and I would be able to focus just on taking care of them and not on who would agree to cover my on-call shift at work. One day I’d be able to prepare a dinner that didn’t involve a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.
In the end, I know it’s not productive to worry about these things. I know I’m happy. I know I’m doing my best, and making the best choices for my family given our current situation. I knew I was doing my best when I was working, too. I know that’s what matters, no matter how much dust my library card has collected.
Do you have Mommy Guilt? What helps you cope with it?
Mary Lauren Weimer is a social worker turned mother turned blogger. She's pursuing a career as a freelance writer, and her work has been published in Sleet Magazine and featured on many popular websites. Her blog, My 3 Little Birds, focuses on the small reflections - MOMents - in each day that make life beautiful. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook!
Comment
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Comment by Katie Hurley on February 7, 2012 at 8:16pm -
The guilt that tears me up is feeling like there's never enough of me to go around. Absurd, I know. But they all have needs and some days I'm not sure they get fulfilled. And my poor husband...he gets the least of me, I'm afraid.
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Comment by Sherri Kuhn on February 7, 2012 at 4:01pm -
Um, people actually bake bread? I was not aware...now I feel guilty, too...
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Comment by sheri silver on February 7, 2012 at 6:48am -
Heck yeah - and while I do believe that I do more than I would be able to if I were working outside the home more "full-time" I am still plagued by guilt over all that I'm NOT doing. Thanks, motherhood! And I have never baked my own bread................loved this post!
© 2012 Created by moonfrye.
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