Fall season is here and I find myself thinking about the seasons of motherhood. I am still in the first-time mom season, toddler-mom season, not so new mom season, and the working mom season. I was in the stay-at-home mom season for a year and I am excited to briefly share my experience with you.
My stay at home mom season was filled with joy, uncertainty, fulfillment, and lack of fulfillment. I was happy to be home with the little one but felt uncertain about my future at the same time. My emotions were unstable. I questioned my purpose and felt guilty for wanting more than being home with my baby.
I was torn between staying at home for a longer period with the little one or going back to the workforce. I felt I needed to be home with the little one in order to give motherhood my 100%. I didn’t want to miss out on some milestones in the early formative years.
I was vulnerable enough to tell God and my husband that I felt empty. During this season of emptiness and uncertainty, I took time to seek God together with my spouse and everything changed.
God chastised me, redirected my step, and made things fall in place beyond what I could have asked or imagine. God made me see how I was beginning to tie my identity and sense of worth to my accomplishments and the things I wanted to accomplish. My eyes were opened to pride and disobedience in my life. I was impatient and wasn’t fully cherishing my stay-at-home mom season like I should. If I knew what I know now about the first three years of life of humans, I would have done things better.
I had to renew my mind with God’s word and started walking in obedience. I was brought to a place of repentance and surrender to God. I learned to never place my identity and sense of worth in motherhood, marriage, academic achievements, career, anything, and anyone but God Almighty, my creator. After seeking God and repenting, things began to fall in place. The job came, we found a great daycare, I started my doctoral program, and everything began to make sense.
Are you undecided about staying at home to take care of your children? Talk to God and let him guide you. Why do you want to become a stay-at-home mom? Why do you want to go back to the workforce? If your answers to these questions are filled with selfish ambitions, you may find yourself feeling insecure and unfulfilled.
Has God called you to become a stay-at-home mom? If he hasn’t, you will likely find yourself resenting motherhood and endlessly comparing yourself with moms in the workforce. If God has called you to the awesome stay-at-home mom life; enjoy the season, grow in faith, build your home, give it your all, see it as a privilege to fully give yourself to your family, and don’t get caught up in comparison.
Please enjoy every season of motherhood you find yourself. Every season is designed for personal growth and it provides an opportunity for you to mentor or groom other mommas who will go through what you went through.
Very soon, I will share my “working mom” season and experiences with you. What season of motherhood are you in? I would like to hear from you.
Thank you for reading!