Thankful

I am fortunate. There are many reasons for me to be thankful, but I am very thankful for the other SAHM's that I have met. Having gone from a person that abruptly quits a successful career to being a Mom has it's challenges. I have to admit my first year as a SAHM was very difficult. Unless you have a sick or special needs child, the act of caring for a child is not very difficult, but the isolation from the rest of society is. You find, at least I did, that you can lose a lot of your identity that first year. It is hard when you are constantly on the go and every day is a new and exciting challenge to staying at home feeding and diapering this little person that gives little in return those first few months. It was a rough transition to say the least. Now MJ is 2 1/2 and things are going really great.

I am sincerely thankful to have met other SAHM's. Most of them have the same or similar story. They decided to put there career life on hold to raise children. Some struggle financially to do this and I have a great deal of respect for them for making the choice to stay at home. Some struggle with the fact they they must return to the workforce either for personal fulfillment or monetary reasons. I have a great deal of respect for those women as well. I am sure it is a decision that weighs heavy on their heart. We have regular play dates for the kids. This is a great way for us moms to introduce social skills to our little ones, especially those of us that have one child. But it's also good for us moms too. We get to hang out with other moms that understand what it's like to not be a part of the working society. We chat for a bit eat some food, chat a little more and eat a little more food. What not to like about this? They are truly great group of women to chill with. For that I am very thankful.

Family, friends and other people that have known me forever still tell me on occasion how surprised and happy they are for me. They would have never in a million years guessed I would ever be a Mom. Quite frankly, I still tell Mark how it hits me once in a while (in a good way).