When I gave up my well-paid career at the end of 2009 to have my daughter Betsy, nothing could’ve prepared me for the feeling of worthlessness I felt and sometimes feel today.
Don’t get me wrong, my job as a full time mum is an important one, but I contribute nothing financially to the family income and although my ‘working’ hours are long, often stressful and tiring, the only ‘pay’ I receive is cuddles and love.
It’s payment enough of course, but I do feel like I lost my independence the day I became a full-time mum.
I run a popular website, blog, and parenting advice service and I take great pride in them and how they help others.
I work hard for charities and raise awareness of certain conditions and illnesses through my writing but still I feel worthless sometimes.
Don’t get me wrong, This isn’t a ‘poor me’ post – it’s far from it. I know I’m incredibly lucky to spend precious time with the the littlies, watching them grow, being there for them every minute of everyday.
I’d not change anything. But sometimes, I feel worthless.
When I earned a good wage in London I paid half of everything with my husband. The mortgage, bills, holidays everything.
I bought furniture, pictures, treated us to weekends away and when I saw expensive clothes or shoes I’d buy them without needing to think first.
I was talking to somebody the other day about days off. I was pretty much laughed at when I said I didn’t get days off.
“You’re off all the time! You don’t work!”
But I’m not. Not really.
I work hard, I really do! I don’t sit around watching TV all day. I don’t spend all day shopping and drinking coffee in coffee shops. For me it’s a non-stop day from 7am until 6.30pm and only then do I put my feet up.
I like it that way. The littlies love it that way.
I feel as a full time mum I’m judged quite harshly. It makes me feel worthless. Jobless.
But I’m not.
I’m not worthless.
I’m not jobless. I’m a mum and that’s one of the most important jobs in the world. Right?
September 7, 2013
Ella
Agree 1000%!! I wrote a similar post a while back (although with a much whinier undergone – I think I was having a bad day haha!) about being a SAHM, I touch upon a few of your points in it through! It is hard when people think you live a lovely, easy life with your partners money when actually it’s not like that! Us mummies have a hard (lovely!) job and its time people realised it. When I did got back to work a couple of months back, everyone asked me if I was tired as I’m ‘not used to it’? What, working? Ha! My answer to them is “Actually not at all, I’m just amazed at how much I get to sit down!”
Your beautiful kiddies are lucky to have a mum who enjoys staying home with them! If you want to check out my thoughts, I dug out the link for you because I’m nice like that
http://bellslittleones.com/2013/03/being-a-stay-at-home-mummy.html
Xx