Today my son turned nineteen months old. He is growing so fast and lately, his vocabulary is expanding faster than I had ever thought was possible. Spending time with him today and reflecting on what I have been able to experience with him because I made the choice to work at home makes me feel very deeply fulfilled. There certainly are days when I doubt the wisdom of my decision to work at home, mostly those days when money is tight and it seems unlikely that all of the bills will be paid that month.
Those days are so much easier to handle when I think about everything that I do have. The things that I have can not be measured by money in the bank or items that I could acquire if I had the money to do so. The things that I have are too numerous to list, but chief among them is the freedom to decide how to spend my time. I can (usually) predict what times I have available to work each day and then decide which other things to fill the day with. There are no missed opportunities or experiences, and I am able to provide my son with the things that he needs to nourish his growing body, mind, and spirit.
The most valuable asset that I have is my time and I give that to him freely, spending it however we decide is best. One day we may spend the day poking about in the yard and discovering rocks and sticks, along with what the cat does when you run after him while screeching at the top of your lungs. Another day we may go out to run errands, stopping at a few different stores over the course of an afternoon and seeing all of the different people and things in each one. Today we went to a local lake and had a wonderful time playing in the sand and the water. We met some other parents and children and shared a great day. Now, as he naps, I have put on my writer’s hat and I’m getting some work done. Once he wakes up, I’ll switch to my “mama hat” and do something else entirely – I have not yet decided what, we will decide together.
It is amazing how many ways having a child can change your life. For me, the choice to find a way to work from home was what my husband and I decided would work best for our family. Nineteen months later, my husband, my son, and I are all still very pleased with the choice we have made. It is not always easy, but any sacrifices or tradeoffs that we make along the way are well worth it in the grand scheme of things.