How to Make the Most of Being a Stay-at-Home Mom
- 1). Decide if you want to stay home. If you feel like you have to work to experience adult contact and personal satisfaction, get a part-time job that gives you both employment and time with your children.
- 2). Talk with your partner. Compromise on all aspects of running your household. Discuss chores that need to be done, errands that need to be run and time that needs to be spent alone. Plan time and money for important activities and daily travel.
- 3). Find other parents. Just because you stay at home doesn't mean you have to stay in your house. Call around town and find play groups. Plan play dates for your kids and take walks with other parents in your neighborhood. Go to the park and introduce yourself to other parents. There are parents everywhere; find them and gather with them often.
- 4). Talk. Discuss the ups and downs of parenting with friends and other parents. Let your partner know you need to vent a little after a frustrating day. Being a parent is hard work, especially when you are with your children all day.
- 5). Spend time alone. As a stay-at-home parent, you spend the day meeting the needs of your children and can sometimes go days without meeting your own needs. Plan to spend some time without the kids, whether it is a night out with other parents or a 45-minute bubble bath. Nurture yourself.
- 6). Let go a little. Lower your expectations about being a gourmet chef or master house cleaner, especially if you live with the under-3 crowd. There is nothing wrong with doing dishes once a day, pushing toys into a corner with a broom or even serving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and dinner. If you feel too stressed or tired to be the Mother of the Year, just relax and play with your tots. They will have more fun, too.