Although motherhood and the love mothers have for their children are cherished worldwide, stay-at-home moms would highly relate to hearing painful words stating how being a stay-at-home mom is an easy job. Janie also shared how she always linked the word tired to working day and night as a TV reporter and anchor. Her career was challenging, as there were no fixed hours. One big news, and she would have to rush in the middle of the night, and stand in front of the camera to let the world know what was happening.
She always had to look pitch-perfect, even when she wasn’t feeling herself or internally fighting personal battles. The lashes had to be perfectly glued, and her clothes were all professional. Even when she went out for a grocery run, chances were high that someone would recognize her. She thought life couldn’t get any tougher, but she became a stay-at-home mother. The woman whose life was all about visiting new places, earning a good amount, and living life to the maximum, it all changed after she became a mother. Everyone around her kept telling her how beautiful the journey of becoming a mother was, but what about the truths no one warns about?
She did not see how she would constantly be adrenaline-fueled. Not only this, but the deadline-driven exhaustion and the constant urge to catch up to the things you miss out on never leave. The girl who couldn’t go a day without a hot shower to calm her down goes days without taking a bath, and when she finally gets time to shower, it does not last longer than 5 minutes, as the worry of your child waking up from sleep keeps you on your toes all the time. The exhaustion that comes with doing little things for yourself makes you lose how you really were all your life, and it is something nothing can prepare you for.
It does not just end there. You’ll constantly be in your night suit, avoiding meeting people and being publicly recognised, as getting out of your comfortable shirts or nursing tank seems impossible. The only time you get ready and feel like yourself again might be your weekly visit to church. But it’s the kind of getting ready you do in a rush. Just a bit of gloss and wearing a polished outfit. It happens when the baby is napping, and when he wakes up, you might forget to put blush on the other side of the cheek because of the chaos. When her eyes looked tired, the girl who used to put on a coffee and honey mask carried dark circles like another accessory, and sunglasses were the go-to for covering up.
Jamie recalls how she used to chuckle and look judgmental whenever her mom’s friends or another woman said they were tired. She wondered what they even did that made her feel so exhausted. Watch TV all day? However, now that she has become a mother, she gets a different kind of tired as your day has no proper routine anymore. You are the one who has to align your tasks with the baby’s routine. The exhaustion is caused by being half asleep throughout the night, and multiple times you wake up to feed the baby or change diapers. The dishes never seem to end, and preparing meals is something you run away from. Life becomes so chaotic that you might even lose hold of your emotions on some days, and when you walk in, breaking down inside your room, a pile of laundry awaits.
The conspiracy is about how no one tells how hard it gets, and when you complain, no one might be able to understand the chaos you’d be going through in life, as they assume your routine is about playing with the baby, taking naps, and staying in the comfort of your home. However, Jamie has accepted it as reality, and every time someone asks her about being a stay-at-home mom, she tells them how great it is!
