Motherhood is both a blessing and a responsibility!
Three years back, I was faced with the dilemma of what to do with my life after I had my baby. I followed my heart and chose to stay at home for my new born son. People used to constantly remark, “Don’t know how you can do it? I would go crazy if I had to stay home with kids”.
Being a stay at home parent can be a very worthwhile experience too, for you. You don’t get to be selfish anymore. You have to think about what’s best for your little one. And believe me, staying at home, watching my kid grow and enjoying every moment with him, was a real gift to me. But that doesn’t mean it was easy, I had my ups and downs.
I was always creative and artistic. And loved to participate in events and programs. Post motherhood, I found it difficult to have some time for myself and my hobbies. My entire day used to revolve around my son and catering to his needs. I didn’t realise how hard it would be to lose my creativity for a while. Months passed like this and I found myself isolated.
A year later I realised I needed to get a life of my own. I had even forgotten what I used to do for fun. I decided I couldn’t go on like this.
I started spending whatever free time I had on my old hobby of painting and discovering a new one, that was of photography. Each day I tried to save sometime for myself and my hobbies. Returning to my beloved hobbies felt like a huge effort at first, but overall the effort gave me more energy than it consumed. They helped me feel refreshed and energetic. I found myself again. And there is not a day that I ever regret the wonderful decision I made to be a stay at home mom.
Now my son is 3 years old. I take him along for a photography walk and he loves to join me. While painting, I engage him with his own colours and a small canvas… It is fun working together!
Through my story I hope to encourage all ‘’stay at home’’ moms to discover their childhood hobbies and find new ones too. Hobbies will not only help you take your mind off the day to day troubles but will make you a happier mom.
— Roli Rastogi —