Disclaimer*: The articles shared under 'Your Voice' section are sent to us by contributors and we neither confirm nor deny the authenticity of any facts stated below. Parhlo PInk will not be liable for any false, inaccurate, inappropriate or incomplete information presented on the website. Read our disclaimer.

I stand in my kitchen in my cherry-colored apron, waiting on the lasagna in the oven while I mix the Cobb salad. Baby Z just had a bath, and I can hear her giggling with her sister in the room. Adorable. That’s what I thought it would be like. But I’m standing in my fudge stained shirt with baby Z trying to pull my PJs down, while I stir the now-looking-weird Mac n Cheese.

Sophia peeks into the pan, “It’s like you mixed up vomit and diarrhea poop mama”. I swear I’m going to scream. Summoning all my motherly love I answer with a fake smile that would make beauty contestants cringe, “Sophie, I’m making it from the box, it’s the same every time”. I’m at my wit’s end and it is not even 5’o clock yet. Welcome to the exhausting world of stay-at-home moms.

We forget to brush our hair every day, we are often preached about women empowerment, sometimes conversations about dinosaurs and Power Rangers are the only ones we’ll have that day, and we mentally stab people who imply that we have all the time in the world. I’ve been a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM) for 6 years, and honestly, I’ve heard it all; muft ke mashwaray (free advice) about not wasting my education to condescending comments about not being financially independent.

Today, I would like to talk about this. It doesn’t bother me now but there was a time it did, at the very start. Being a new mom was tough, giving up on my ambitions for the time being was even harder. But I thought about it and decided to stay at home with Baby Sophie. I chose to give her all my time, I chose to be around her 24/7.

There were beautiful days when her tiny hands on my eyes would warm my heart, and there were lonely and long days when I envied my spouse for having human interactions that didn’t involve swooshing airplanes and nursing boo-boos. And on those exhausting days, the unsolicited advice of people about my choices added a lot of negativity. Because you see, we are humans. We are not strong every single day and our bad days CAN be made worse.

I don’t feel bothered by these random speculations anymore, but there are new moms who are going through this and they might not feel so indifferent. Something needs to be said about the sacrifices involved in being a SAHM. You give up on your career, a lot of money, meaningful adult company, those feelings of accomplishment every day and so much more. You give up something that’s important to you because you decide to dedicate all your time to your kids.

You opt to stay with your babies when they are too young to understand what friends mean. When they want to cuddle up in your lap all day, you stay, so they can have that. You are there all day, every single second. Never getting a break, listening to them vent, watching their new dance moves. You are there for their first steps and first words.

So SAHMs, this one is for you. It’s tough to stay sane, to stay upbeat, in all of that. Your choice needs to be respected. No one has the right to downplay your work and dedication. You know in your heart that your constant presence makes a huge difference in your children’s lives.

More Power to You!