Meet Laura: A Day in the Life

I am so thrilled to be writing for FCM! My name is Laura, and I am a relatively new stay-at-home mother to two young children (Mikey is two, and Molly is six months old). I wanted to use my first post as both an introduction and a snapshot of my life as a stay-at-home mother.

When my husband and I received the amazing news that we were having a second child, we were thrilled and scared. Two children change everything! After much consideration and numbers-crunching, we decided I would take at least a year to stay home with the children. As a highly educated woman who has worked since she was thirteen, the idea of not having a job was scary and exhilarating. It was easy being home on weekends with my son; how hard could full-time with two children be? Any of you who have stayed home before or do so now know that it is much more complicated than it looks. So, here is a typical day in the life.

My days went from standing in front of 12-year-olds all day to rolling on the floor with an almost three-year-old. My outfits changed from heels and clothes from Loft to yoga pants and jeans, usually with a spit-up stain. My nights transformed from sitting on the couch grading papers to falling onto the couch and trying as hard as possible to read a few pages of whatever book I’ve recently checked out of the library. Conversations about the newest releases and the new Common Core Standards have been exchanged for ones about potty training and nursing.

My days now consist of running back and forth to the bathroom, having one or two children constantly attached to me, and hurrying to make it out the door in under an hour. I am always looking for educational and fun activities to keep my son entertained and where I can easily nurse my daughter.

I have learned to laugh more, and my patience is slowly increasing. Spending time on the floor with my children is a daily activity that can take as long as needed instead of trying to get in some quick time before or after work. Mealtimes are now long and unhurried, and I learned so much about my son during those times.

I have watched my son transform from an overly self-centered child to one who cares more about his little sister than I ever thought possible. I have been present for my daughter’s firsts instead of learning about them through a daycare provider. But everything is not always easy.

I often think my life was easier before I quit my job. Each day had a definitive schedule, and there were places we needed to be. Now, I need to fill our days to keep my children entertained. My son’s teachers at daycare were amazing, and he was learning leaps and bounds.

I was so scared about how I could teach him all he needed to know, and I was even more afraid that he would be utterly resentful of his new sister. But, somehow, we are doing it! No day is perfect; there are tears almost daily (often, they are mine), but my children are thriving. There are certainly days when I think I would rather be back in the classroom, but I wouldn’t change the time I have with my children for anything.