Full-time Mom, Back-up Breadwinner

That's me right now. It's been almost a year since I decided to be at home 100% of the time and be with my son and husband. I've been really excited, after all, this was a dream come true. I've worked in an office almost as soon as I graduated from college, maybe traveled a little, did part-time work sometimes, studied MA, but I still basically had to work. For years I longed to climb up the career ladder, have a hefty salary, and become the boss.  When I became a mom though, all these changed and I realized I no longer want to be in the rat-race of working for corporations anymore. The first time I saw my son, I thought, I love you that I just want to see your face every minute of everyday. So when I learned that I will be allowed to work from home, I was ecstatic. Little did I expect that I would be really exhausted. I am exhausted yet very satisfied. I don't think of promotions or salary raises anymore. After all, the greatest promotion I have ever gotten so far is becoming the parent of this wonderful boy.

Meanwhile, my husband works like a horse and gets very little sleep in the day. I still dream of that day when neither of us have to work like 25 year-olds. But there's so much beauty in the world that we want to see, houses we want to live in, food we want to taste, and places we want to experience. In short, we still dream of things we believe that are nice, like a house with big windows and a garden, 5-day vacations worth at least 40 thousand pesos, and slow-paced education for our children that will enhance their creativity and imagination more than we ever had a chance to. We are humans and we have to earn.

Being a woman at this time is fairly challenging. There are so many things to take responsibility of like careers, health, the environment, and most of all, the home and kids. And because I love my husband so much, I don't want him to feel all the burden of earning for the family. Right now, I'm just glad that I am able to share with the bills and sometimes pay for dates and vacations. It's exhausting, yet highly satisfying to realize that I am somehow able to juggle these things together and make things as beautiful as I can for myself and my family.