By Cheryl Bac
E-mail Cheryl Bac
About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons incl...
(More)About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons including Chicago and Boston. Exercise is an integral part of my life. I hope to one day go back to long distance running and tackle the New York City Marathon. Right now I run after my one year old son. Although I am a stay-at-home mom, we are rarely "at home." My mom also stayed at home with my brother and me. She warned me that, although rewarding, it can be isolating. So, with her help, I learned the importance of getting out into the community and meeting other mothers. On the rare occasion when I am at home and have a hand or two free, I squeeze in time to scrapbook. As a new mom, many challenges are thrown my way. I hope my opinions, triumphs, and struggles help experienced parents reminisce, new parents cope, and parents-to-be get an honest glimpse of what the first years of motherhood can entail.
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Many of the stay-at-home parents I interact with during the day have spouses who travel for work. Some spouses travel frequently and others only occasionally.
Many of us joke about how it is sometimes easier to take care of our kids when our spouses are away for a few days.
While this may make it sound like our spouses are not helpful at home, usually it just means that we give ourselves a break from all the "extras" that can come with being a parent. We order out, heat up leftovers or just make sandwiches instead of cook. We save laundry for another day. Cleaning/organizing are not a priority. And usually we don't start any big projects that week.
In other words, when our spouses travel for work, it can force us to simplify our lives a bit and focus more on our kids. And, sometimes, focusing more on the kids makes parenting a bit easier.
What do you do to make life easier when your spouse is away on business?
