Have you seen Denise Laurel’s #WhipIt commercial? Hers is my favorite among all the #WhipIt stories because I can really relate. I am not a single mom, but I think stay at home and work at home moms get judged oftentimes too. “Sayang… (Such a waste…)” – I’ve heard this hundreds of times before every time people ask me about my work. “What’s an Atenean doing at home taking care of the kids?” some of them would even ask. Let me share with you what Denise Laurel has to say about labels…
“Labels are a challenge. To me it was challenge accepted. Sayang? I don’t think so.”
Not too long ago, a friend told me that their company has an opening and she’d like to offer the job to me. I politely declined and told her that I’d rather work from home. She then brought up what happened a few weeks ago: when I was offered a supervisor position in a big company, but I didn’t take it.
“Why?” she asked, looking confused and a bit disappointed. “Ayaw mo ba ng regular income? (Don’t you want regular income?)” she added.
Well, here’s why.
I chose working from home over a regular job because there is no better set up for us than this. I’d feel extremely bad if I work six days a week, 8 hours a day, while my husband is mostly away because of work. Who, then, will take care of the minis? A nanny? My mom? I’d rather take care of them myself. Sure, I get stressed a lot of times because my two toddlers just love testing mommy’s limits, but I love being with them – every day, 24 hours a day, no less. Nothing makes me any happier than that (except for an occasional sundae cone on really bad days :D).
I chose working from home over a regular job because I want to be there when my husband comes home after duty. I love that I get to prepare a nice meal for him, to talk to him about how his duty went, to talk to him about how my day went. If I were out working, I’d probably go straight to bed after work because I get so tired easily (no thanks to hyperthyroidism).
I chose working from home over a regular job because it pays the bills. Don’t take this as bragging ha, but with clients that pay well, I am earning better than many who work out of the home. I don’t have a salary as high as CEO (although someday I wish to earn like a CEO MOM-EO), but I earn enough for the bills and a family vacation every now and then.
More than clients that pay well, I chose working from home over a regular job because I get to work with people who have the same vision. It’s absolutely amazing how God leads us to where we should be when we have lost our way. When I was offered the position of supervisor (and a week later, another company called to hire me for a marketing position), two of my contracts ended and I really felt I might need to get a regular job so we can get by. Then, surprisingly, a woman whose mission is to bring hope (my word for 2014!) and encouragement contacted me for a full-time work from home job. It’s amazing that now, I get to earn while doing my life’s purpose. And I love that I get to work with someone who gets me and that the work we do together will contribute to a much bigger thing – which is impacting the lives of others.
So why do I work from home when I have an option to work for a huge company in the Philippines? Working from home not only provides for my family, but also gives me time for them. It not only develops my skills and knowledge, but also allows me to grow as a person. Most importantly, working from home makes me happy. Genuinely happy.
Those are my reasons for choosing to work from home. I want this post to remind other stay/work-at-home moms OR dads to appreciate their situation. And I also want this to serve as a reminder for everyone to think before judging. We are all amazing regardless of what our choice – in this case, of work – is because, well, that’s your thing! As long as you are happy with what you are doing and it is not putting yourself or other people in danger, then keep doing it. 🙂