The Mom Ramp, Part 2: The New Stay-at-Home Mom

Posted by Charlene Prince Birkeland

Editor's Note: A few months ago my friend, fellow blogger and working mom, HipMamaB, quit her corporate gig. A job loved and worked her tail off to climb the corporate ladder. She jumped into the world of being a stay-at-home mom, while the wheels of work still turned in her head. And I instanly knew that hers was a story that should be told. It's a challenge and dilemma that so very many working moms face, day in and day out -- the inevitable question: "What should I do with my life?"

HipMamaB's first post was about her immediate jump from being a working mom to a stay-at-home mom. This week, she shares part two of her story..."The New Stay-at-Home Mom, Day One. Want to know how she spent her new-found time? Read on...

The New Stay-At-Home Mom

I used to have this dream of quitting my job. I mostly had it during that last 10-minutes of sleep on Monday mornings before having to get out of bed and start my week. But it went something like this:

...I would waltz into my boss' office, poised and confident holding a neatly folded letter in my hands. I would sit down, smile and go and on about how much I loved my job. But I was making the decision to leave to spend more time with my child. Then I would hand over my letter of resignation and skip out of the office as they begged me to stay or freelance on events and projects for them. End of story.

Since dreams are so rarely like reality, I was put into a much different, not so cheery, situation. With the support and encouragement of my husband, I resigned effective immediately, and dove head first into to world of being a stay-at-home mom.

The first day of what I had always considered “freedom” was like a holiday. I stayed in my pajamas until mid-afternoon. I made elaborate plans for what I was going to do with all my extra time. On day four, when my husband came home I was burning dinner for the second time that week. It was that point where my emotions took over and I just started crying.

I kept focusing on how I had lost my place in the professional world. How lost I was being a stay-at-home mom. As someone so used to corporate life -- getting something done, getting it approved, seeing results and moving on –- I was having a hard time adjusting to a world where I wouldn’t see the real “results” of my actions for another 18 or so years.

At that point I made the decision to try and pick up some work... something that would keep my mind in the game. I had a great network of people and before I knew it I had my first freelancing gig.

Next Week: Part Three -- Taking Charge

You can also read more of Beth's writing at her personal blog, LaLaLaLand.

Comments

[David B. Bohl]

Beth,

Congratulations! What a great personal story of hope and inspiration.

Have you read the Winter 2007 Business Week magazine Small Business edition? It has a great article titled "This Time It's Mine: Why high-powered women are leaving Corporate America to become entrepreneurs." The piece features women who have fled flourishing corporate careers to pursue opportunities as entrepreneurs. You can read it here: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_09/b4023438.htm

I've also written a short commentary about it on my blog: http://reflectionscoaching.typepad.com/reflections_on_balance/2007/03/profiles_of_wom.html