I’m a stay at home mommy.  I wanted it this way.  I would never want that to change.  But there are times when I find myself looking over the fence.  The greener pastures look oh, so green compared to what I’m standing on.
My youngest son was just diagnosed with a corn allergy.  It’s left me a bit overwhelmed.  These days my life consists of reading food labels, learning all the names for products made from corn—scratch that, there’s corn in everything. My life consists of cooking EVERYTHING from scratch.  And then schlepping kids to and from school and activities, and cleaning up potty accidents. I was tired of diapers, so we went the potty training route. Now I’m tired of cleaning up pee. I’m tired of cooking, baking and making lunches. I’m tired of never being home long enough to get the dishes from the last meal into the dishwasher. Keyphrase here, I’m tired.
Some days, I just want my husband’s life. He gets to use the bathroom in private. He has time to go to the gym on his lunch break. He has moments of silence in his office, where he is free to think his own thoughts. He gets to enjoy car rides alone where he can listen to whichever radio station he wants to.
I’m tired and jealous. But that sort of attitude doesn’t mix with being a mommy. No matter how overwhelming it might be, I need to cherish the time I spend with my little ones, because it goes by so quickly. If I really want to be fair, I could list off all of the ways that my husband could be jealous of me. I get to be the source of nourishment for my babies from their very beginning. I get to see their first smiles, hear their first coos, watch their first steps. I know my husband misses out on things I wouldn’t dream of giving up for a private trip to the bathroom or a shower more than once a week. My husband is making just as many, if not more sacrifices, so I can be at home with our children.
The fact is, parenting takes sacrifices. When I let my exhaustion and jealousy get the best of me, I miss out on the everyday joys that my children provide on a daily basis.  When life feels mundane and full of dirty diapers, I need to look at where my children are now, and realize they didn’t get there overnight.  It’s taken me 8, 6, 4 and 2 years to get each of my children where they are now.  It’s taken countless sacrifices for both my husband and me, sacrifices we would and will make over and over again.  We’re in this together, not against each other.  We each have our own part to play and making sure that I’m looking at my life from the right perspective helps me remember the great gift that I have to be able to stay home, even if it feels like I’m sacrificing a lot.
photo credit: Herkie via photopin cc