It’s fairly normal to have some difficulty dealing with the decision to be a stay-at-home mum. It’s normal to question your decision or to have doubts whether you made the right one. You may wonder if you have made the right choice and you probably have all kinds of other fears and worries. This is all perfectly normal, however, experts agree that you need to deal with those issues, rather than ignoring them.
In fact, keeping your reservations and worries about being a stay-at-home mum bottled up is likely to lead to depression, which will only make everything a lot worse.
One of the big reasons stay-at-home mums get frustrated and resentful is that it is often boring and isolating to stay at home with your children. Even the best mums need contact with other adults, so make time for classes, dinner with friends and other grow up activities.
You might also want to take note of situations and events that trigger feelings of resentment. It might be that you feel that your partner does not understand or appreciate the work it takes to be a stay-at-home mum, or something else, but knowing what’s causing your resentment is the first step in addressing it.
Finally, make sure that you take care of yourself. It’s easy to fall into a routine of slobbing around the house in old tracksuits and skipping the gym in favour of the television and snack foods, but if you spend some time making sure that you look and feel great, you’ll be far less likely to become resentful.
Don’t be surprised or angry if you realise that you are feeling resentful towards your stay-at-home mum status. Rather take the bull by the horns and do something. Whether it’s getting a half day job that gets you out of the house and back in the workforce while your child is in day care, or whether it’s speaking to a professional therapist, doing something will get you one step closer to resolution. Start a business, have a makeover or talk to your partner – whatever it is that helps you to appreciate your life and your children more, it’s worth it.
