Working Mom Is 'Miserable' At Her New Corporate Job And Wants To Go Back To Staying Home With Her Kids
Did she miss her kids, or did she just hate her job?
fizkes | Shutterstock Transitions are challenging. One mom found this incredibly true when she entered the workforce after staying home with her children for years.
Her new job was, unfortunately, making her miserable, and she argued it was because she wanted to stay home with the kids, but her husband has her second guessing whether that's really how she feels or if it's the job itself that has her missing the stay-at-home-mom life.
The mom is miserable at her new corporate job and would prefer to stay home with the kids.
“I have an eight and six-year-old,” she explained. “I have stayed home with them for most of their lives but also attended college.” Recently, she had cause for celebration. “I got my bachelor's degree last year and landed a [corporate] job.”
Unfortunately, all was not well with this new arrangement. “When I say I am miserable, I feel like all I do is cry," she admitted. "My husband is [fly in, fly out], and he’s in another state for months at a time.”
“He makes enough to cover all of our bills and some, but he is wanting me to keep my job in the event he loses his (which would happen to me before it happened to him).”
New Africa | Shutterstock
“I’m devastated because my children are in school, and I’ve already had to miss several things at their school due to my work schedule,” she continued. “I’m also spending my nights cleaning because I can no longer do that during the day, so I feel like I’m missing that time with them as well.”
Entering the workforce has opened her eyes to many aspects of motherhood.
“I now realize the sacrifices made by both working and staying home, and to me, the sacrifice of working is too great,” she said. “I always wanted to be a mommy. I feel that [is] what my calling is. And I’m so sad that I even went to college.”
Many parents work outside of the home, and it actually has some benefits.
While this mom may be unsure of what to do moving forward, she is far from the only parent who works outside of the home.
The U.S. Census Bureau found in 2018, “There were around 23.5 million employed women with children under the age of 18, and nearly two-thirds worked full-time, year-round.”
Research has also indicated that working may be beneficial for moms. According to the American Psychological Association, “Mothers employed part-time reported better overall health and fewer symptoms of depression than stay-at-home moms."
Still, the transition from stay-at-home mom to working parent is challenging. She spent the last eight years constantly caring for her children.
Suddenly spending her days in a corporate office away from her kids is likely a culture shock of sorts. It is understandable, and maybe even expected, that she is struggling to adapt to the change.
The miserable mom is looking into other working options.
Some commenters questioned whether the woman really wanted to get back to her children or simply get away from her job. Other users suggested she try part-time work — something she shared she is looking into.
“It honestly helped me realize that my biggest issue is my manager and lack of flexibility in my current role,” she said of a conversation with her husband. “We talked about me looking into part-time work as I do (contrary to what many [commenters] believe) love working!”
“My hope is that I’m able to find something that allows me the opportunity to both make a little extra money while also having the freedom to be with my kids for school events, and also to be more mentally present in the evening!” she explained.
New Africa | Shutterstock
She also shared that she is looking to hire outside help, in the form of a cleaner and laundry service, to lessen the load and allow her to spend the time she does have at home with her kids, as many commenters suggested.
Hopefully, this mom can find a balance between working and parenting that allows her to be happy and present in her kids' childhoods.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.