The SAHM

Years ago the thought of giving up my career to stay at home with my kids made me chuckle. I couldn't possibly sacrifice my paycheck and nice lifestyle to be covered in spit up and pureed carrots on a daily basis, could I? Even though I fell into Insurance on a whim, I was still proud of all I had accomplished in my short time in the industry, and thought for sure that I would be the kind of mother who needed to work outside the home to feel like I was contributing to my family's future. Society's view of a stay at home mom is a bleak one, anyway. Add in the preconceived notions of a military spouse and, BAM, you have a recipe for people to instantly turn down their noses at you.

I did return to work for a short time after Brady was born. He was about 7 weeks old and I went back to help my department transition because we were moving away and a new agent would be taking my spot. The morning Brady left with Patrick to go to the sitter's house, I cried my eyes out. It was the first time I had been away from him and my heart broke into a million pieces as the door closed behind them. I got ready for work and returned to my desk that day as only a body. My heart and soul were with that baby across town, and it was all I could do to keep myself from crying all day. I even stuck one of his teeny, tiny socks in my pocket so I could rub it when I started to feel sad. It was in those moments that I knew I had been wrong for all those years.

You cannot always tell what your future holds, but when your ideas about life change, you roll with the punches. I couldn't be a happier person now that I have a short, bald guy for a boss. Sure, I'm not bringing in a paycheck or solving insurance problems anymore, but I'm doing something much more important. I am raising my son. Me. I get to see him smile all day. I get to make him laugh hysterically when he's tickled. I get to watch in amazement as he tries to crawl before my very eyes, and I get the complete satisfaction of knowing that I will never regret this decision.

So, society may not yet accept a woman who "sacrifices" herself to raise her family, but I know full well that tomorrow, when that precious baby wakes up, my life is completely perfect and I am right where I want to be.