Adapting to the stay-at-home lifestyle

The year 2020 has been eventful from the minute a pandemic hit; everyone's world transformed. Businesses and organizations were shutting down, people were losing jobs, and everyone had to conform to a new normal. Some of which have stayed the same in areas of the world. Social distancing created a whole new meaning for many people. Unfortunately, many families have suffered from losses and had to distance themselves from one another, primarily with the holiday season. It's unfortunate for many of us stay-at-home parents its put a strain on isolation.

If you asked me, "where do you see yourself in five years?" five years ago, I could say to you straight up that it wasn't here. I've never portrayed myself as a stay-at-home mom. I always assumed that stay at home parents had the best of both worlds, being home all day with kids, but I was mistaken. There's so much more action that goes on throughout the day. Until I became a stay at home parent, I thought it was all fun, but there's a lot of work that goes into being home all day. I believe many people underestimate parents who stay home, assuming they have this relaxing, easygoing lifestyle.

Adapting from working mom life to a stay at home parent wasn't easygoing and has entirely altered my view on any parent who stays home with their kids, particularly toddlers. My two children are two and three years old. Like any job, there are good days and bad days, but being home with them has revoked all privacy privilege's while using the bathroom and hearing your name called all day long, "mommy mommy mommy," usually for no reason. Don't forget the countless "no's" and "don't touch that," repeating like a broken record throughout the day because on top of the daily to-do list, there's always laundry, dishes, food to be cooked, and cleaning to be done. Some days are a challenge because you want some space or more than thirty seconds to yourself, but somehow everything manages to get finished.

In my opinion, the most challenging part has been being home alone all day. There's not a whole lot of room for conversation with a two-year-old and a three-year-old: half jabber and half random words. Most of the day consists of sitting there, watching the same television shows or movies all day. Sooner or later, you start singing along to all the songs, and before you know it, you'll recognize all the characters. Those moments introduced me to an aha moment that allowed me to understand my kids more—learning about them as individuals, such as their likes and interests, which has been a great experience. The best part is seeing how much they have developed in the past year. Both children surprised me with how much each tiny human can pick up over such a short period.

I get told all the time, "I don't know how you do that all day." It's simple; I love them. They are entirely my world. Without them and the help of my amazing husband, I wouldn't survive. I've gone through a magnitude of hard times just like many other people have, but the most significant part of becoming a stay-at-home parent is having support from family, friends, and loved ones around us. This pandemic has wholly transformed all our lives, but mine, in particular, has been changed for the better. It's allowed me to have time with my family but to see my children growing up every day has been one of the best gifts I could have ever received this holiday season.