I gathered my three little girls Monday morning to begin F.R.O.G. (Fully Rely On God) camp at our church.
My mission: to be in charge of 9 little three year olds, including my second daughter who just turned three. The catch: having my six month old baby with me, all day, every day.
The relief: Camp hours were only from 9 to 1 each day. And my husband holding our baby on Monday and Friday morning at the start of camp.
I've never been so exhausted, well, maybe I was more tired when I was at the end of my pregnancy with my third daughter while my husband was deployed. But these little three year olds, whew, they gave me a workout, mentally and physically.
We sang songs about God. We made crafts. We ate snacks. We did science experiments. We played outside. And we came home full of joy and inspiration, but little steam.
I didn't cook but one meal this week. I was too tired. I could barely manage my girls. I was doing good just to talk. I know, it sounds a little pathetic, but that's how it was.
Sure I have been getting up each night to nurse my baby, but I was surprised by how little energy I had to do anything around the house after my 9 to 1 gig.
And that was just from working outside the house from 9 to 1. Maybe having my baby in my arms all day and 9 three year olds in my charge may level the equation to 9 to 5, but at the end of the week I am left standing, no sitting, slouching more like it, and wondering: how does a mom who has a job outside of the home do it? How does she find the energy when she comes home from working all day to her other job, her other full time job of being a mom?
Everyone says being a stay-at-home mom is hard. It is.
Being a parent in general is hard, much harder than I ever realized.
But after this week I have a new profound appreciation and respect for parents who work outside of the home and come home to their children every day, children who say, "Let's play chase, Mommy."
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