Best. Job. Ever.

Just like any other young person, I used be asked the age old questions, "What are you going to do with your life? What do you want to be when you grow up?" To which I would answer something different every couple of months. I wanted to be a surgeon, a lawyer, or the President when I was a kid. Then, when I discovered those jobs weren't going to happen or seemed to be a bad fit for me, I was baffled. I wanted to do something I loved, but I didn't know what I loved to do. I kept telling myself I had plenty of time to decide, and so I started college as an Undeclared major. I didn't pick a major until my 2nd year. At one point, I wanted to be a psychologist. But I just couldn't commit to all that school. Then, I thought I wanted to be a teacher, but I had just finished getting my B.A. in Psychology and I was not about to go right back in for anything. I knew what I didn't want to do, and I didn't want to be a "housewife." I went to college, I had chosen a path that would lead to a career, I didn't want to do nothing! (See there? Ignorant.)

Young and carefree just after graduation.

So, after graduation, I'm still working as an Assistant Manager for a major retail store. Nice and non-committal, right? I had been with that company for 5 years. Then, we decide to get married and…surprise! Pregnant. The time I spent at home with my little girl, on maternity leave, I discovered something. I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to go back to work and put her in daycare. Ever.  WOW HAD I REALLY JUST DECIDED WHAT I WANT TO DO? Yes, I did.

Truly, the best.

I want to be mommy, 24 hours a day. There is nothing I would love more than to raise and mold this little girl into the wonderful woman I know she will be. Don't get me wrong, it is really hard. I can't afford to buy everything I want, and we had to do a lot of sacrificing in the budget department. I get burned out, too. There are days when I just want to run away for a while and forget I have someone SO dependant on me. But then, I just look at her and remember that I get to look at this pretty face all day long. In her face, I see my future. I see finger painting on the dining table, making cookies with mommy in the kitchen, taking naps together in mommy's bed, and playing in the sprinkler in the backyard. To me, that sounds like the best job in world. 

Sweet baby Olive

Are you a stay-at-home mama/papa? If so, what made you want to stay home with the kids? If you went back to work (or plan to), did you choose to or was it a necessity?