The accidental stay-at-home mom

I’m starting to call myself the accidental stay-at-home-mom. Sometimes I fancy introducing myself as a writer, but I really spend a great deal of the day folding laundry, washing sippy cups, scheduling playdates, making lunches, cleaning disgusting lunch containers, scheduling doctor’s appointments, schlepping to doctor’s appointments, making dinners, picking up Legos off the floor and cuddling, loving, and disciplining (yelling at) my children. They are 2 and 5.

I have a few other things going on…. I am attempting to publish a parenting book I have been working on for some time, and occasionally I write freelance articles and very often I stare at social media sites and ogle at all my friends and social contacts who are more successful than me.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. I spent 15 years as a legal reporter at 3 different news organizations. I was on a path to promotion, or at least I was doing pretty well. But then my most recent job turned into a dead end; I realized what I’d need to make it work was a big dose of ambition, and I didn’t have that. So I leaned out. I wanted to do something different. Something had to give. I needed to spread my wings, raise my voice, be me, spend time with the sprog. My spouse’s career was going up and up. I started working on a book with a friend and collaborator, and we thought we could sell it. I had grand visions of writing fascinating articles for big household-name-type media outlets filled with my piercing insight. I still have them. But then, there are the kids.

And so that’s why I’m the accidental stay at home mom.