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Mom Entrepreneur ? How I Decided to Leave the Corporate World to be a Mom at Home |
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Written by Jennifer Hess
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Tuesday, 19 May 2009 01:17 |
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My grandmother always told me to be independent and to conquer the world. Growing up that was my career ambition to compete in the corporate male dominated world and rise to the top. I would not have believed you 10 or 15 years ago if you had told me I would gladly give it all up to stay home with my kids.
by JenniferHess
My grandmother always told me to be independent and to conquer the world. Growing up that was my career ambition to compete in the corporate male dominated world and rise to the top. I would not have believed you 10 or 15 years ago if you had told me I would gladly give it all up to stay home with my kids.
This change in my priorities has occurred slowly over the last 5 years. During my first pregnancy, I believed I would not take my full maternity leave, and I actually told my employer that - thank goodness he did not hold me to that statement.
Being a mom was something I did not give much thought to. To my surprise it turned out to be an extremely rewarding and fulfilling career choice. I dreaded having to go back to work after having my daughter and I used up every day allowed on my maternity leave. What made me go back - simply put, the mortgage needed to get paid. So just like millions of other moms - I went back to the...job.
Eventually I settled into a routine leaving a part of myself behind each day. My daughter's comments of ...Mommy! Do not go!, and ...Mommy, you love work more than me!, broke my heart, because to a toddler there is no way to explain - Mommy feels she does not have a choice.
Perhaps because there was a bit of truth behind those words....just a bit. What I found about myself is that I did enjoy using my brain, solving problems and rising to the challenge. What was gone for me this around time was the ambition; I no longer wanted to be the top dog; perhaps because in my daughter's eyes I was already there so I had nothing left to prove.
When I was pregnant with my son it was not a question about how long I would be away on maternity leave, both my employer and I knew I would take every day possible. Once again I found being a mom at home a wonderful experience and now I had two bundles of energy.
I also had the time now to bond with my daughter again. At daycare she was her own independent person and she had to get used to me being around all the time. There were a million new things to learn about her as she continued to grow.
However once again the clock ran out on my leave, and this time I was not dreading my return because I assumed I would find the same job satisfaction ...boy was I wrong!
Whether it was my employer or whether it was me, I do not know what changed but something did. I was putting my time in at my job but I was bored and it no longer felt as if I was using my brain in a productive manner. Coupled with the standard mommy guilt about leaving my kids every day and I soon became an unhappy mommy... I felt that I was not doing anything right and I was failing at everything.
In hindsight that was my perception not the reality, but regardless I soon saw the need to address the problem. I loved the business world, but I no longer wanted to be part of the corporate business world; I wanted to be at home with my kids but I still felt I needed an outlet to challenge myself. After some internet surfing and some soul searching I found what I wanted to do and I started my own company, an online childrens clothing store called Growing Growing Gone.
I believe that there is not one single answer out there on whether a mom should or should not work outside of the home. Following your chosen career path is a very personal decision. I went searching for the middle ground between the corporate career woman and not being that person. As I embark on the journey to bring this dream into reality I know there will be countless new challenges to face. Regardless of the outcome, I am happy with the choice I made and I fully believe that a happy mommy is a better mommy.
About the Author:
The author Jennifer Hess is the mother of two adorable children and she is extremely glad she made this new career choice. Her online kids clothing store carries 100+ brand names for the baby, kid or teen on your shopping list. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.
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