Encouragement for Stay at Home Moms – 10 New Identities to Embrace as a SAHM

Are you leaving your “corporate job” to become a stay-at-home mom with your first baby or other children?  It might feel like you’re “losing” your old identity and taking on a new one.  After googling around…I know I’m not the only woman out there possibly having an “identity crisis” and searching for some encouragement for stay at home moms making this transition!

In my “corporate” job, I felt important.  I felt like I was contributing to the world, to my team members, to my organization, to tens of thousands of families who were suffering from conflicts and crises (I’m a humanitarian aid worker).

But as I leave my job, I am scared of what identity I now have in the eyes of others.  Because like it or not, I’m insecure and image-conscious in my weaker moments.

• I used to be responsible for a $5 million dollar budget.  Now I’ve only got a few thousand to work with.
• I used to be responsible for 300 people.  Now I’m responsible for 1.
• I used to be a decision-maker in the midst of humanitarian crises.  Now my most significant daily decision is what type of food to cook for dinner.

To encourage myself, and hopefully to provide some encouragement for stay at home moms around the world, I decided to write out a list of 10 positive, affirming, new identities. Will you choose to take these on as you make this wonderful, awesome transition from corporate-importance to mom-importance?

Here is some encouragement for stay at home moms to embrace!

I am a CREATOR – I craft, create, write, play, and imagine with my newborn.  I create the world he or she gets to grow up in.

I am a TEACHER – I model, explain, read, and demonstrate how to live life to the full for my child.

I am a HOME MANAGER – I schedule activities, purchase groceries, keep a clean house, cook healthy meals, fix broken toys, and overall create a safe space for my family to live in.

I am an INSPIRER – I motivate, encourage, and love my husband and my baby so they can thrive and be the people God made them to be.

I am an ENVIRONMENTALIST – I garden, compost, recycle, and show my child how to care for the Earth.

I am HEALTHY – I run, walk, work out, eat well, and model healthy living for my family.

I am FAITHFUL – I pray, read scripture, meditate, and put Christ at the center of my day, because I need His love to overflow into my family, especially for the times when I don’t have enough patience of my own.

I am a COMEDIAN – I make silly faces, tell ridiculous stories, tickle, and tease gently so that my husband and my baby have a home that’s filled with laughter.

I am a PROBLEM FIXER – I put band-aids on scrapes, soothe cries, listen to my husband’s challenges each day and try to brainstorm solutions, and meet up for encouragement sessions with other women.

I am DETERMINED – Even though I’ve left my corporate job, I work hard to continue to bring in income and create meaningful change in the world while my baby sleeps.

Why am I trading my corporate identity for being “just a mom”?  And why might you contemplate doing the same thing?

1. First, because being a mom is something I’ve always wanted, ever since I can remember.  And anything worth doing is worth doing whole-heartedly.
2. Second, because I have PCOS and had years of infertility treatment.  To finally become pregnant “naturally” was an amazing gift from God that I want to treasure.
3. Third, because so many women out there want to be moms and never got the chance. So I figured I’d better place as much importance on motherhood as possible.
4. Fourth, because I’ve got my whole life to work – but only a few short years to be a mom.  So why not take the opportunity while it’s here?

Feel loved, feel important, and feel like you’ve made the best decision as you become a stay-at-home mom.

Tell me in the comments below – have you got some more encouragement for stay at home moms?  What other “identity” have you adopted as a stay-at-home mom?