MYTH: Being A Full-Time Mom is Easy

I know most people think that being a full-time mom is a no-brainer. That all she does is play with her kids, cook meals, and keep the house tidy. As if those tasks are easy! Some even say "Nasa bahay ka lang naman" or "Wala ka namang ginagawa". What? Excuse me!

I've been a working girl for 12 years and when I became a full-time mom, I discovered that same as working, it entails a lot of thinking, time management and continuous improvement. The hardest part of it all --- a full-time mom gets no pay for it (except for those luckier and wealthier moms) and being a mom does not end after 8 hours.

If you're one of the big percentage of women wishing to just stay home, thinking that it's just all about playing with your kids, shopping, having your nails done while kids are at school, I'm sorry to break your bubble. It's far from that. How I wish that's possible but in my case, I hardly even have time to get my nails done or brush my hair!

My typical day involves breastfeeding, thinking of what nutritious food to serve the little one, bathing her, changing diapers and clothes, looking for ways to entertain her, singing and dancing with her (this becomes tiring after 5x of replay of the same Sesame Street videos haha!), putting her to sleep at nap times (which is becoming difficult during toddler's age since she likes to play and play and play), reading her stories, teaching her the alphabet, colors, shapes, animals, etc.

Then there's the household to think about. I admit I am not such a domesticated woman. I grew up with helpers assisting with my needs. This is the tough part for me. I don't really do the household chores since Yanna's yaya is also all-around but I need to make sure that she does the chores correctly. Being the hands on mom that I am, the yaya now has less "yaya tasks". I think I'm making some progress here because this week I made her a list and schedule of household chores and I just need to check whether she follows it. As for cooking, I sometimes try to cook based on recipes I like and serve them to hubby and I wait for the verdict haha! I hope hubby notices the effort I make but I have to admit I still have a lot to learn!

There are times when I find this to be a thankless job. Unlike in the corporate world where people are being evaluated by metrics based on a more or less permanent set of tasks, a full time mom does not have that. A lot more is expected as a mom and wife and right now I don't think I pass those with flying colors. Everyday is a struggle and I hope that soon I can say that I'm a Super Mom :)

When I feel blue, I just look at my daughter and just one smile from her makes everything worth the struggle. So to those moms who can relate, I'm leaving you Yanna's gigil smile to perk you up! :)

Mommy May