People who think that being a stay-at-home mom is not considered a job obviously have never met Jennifer Gonzales. 

As a mother of three—Abigail, 2, Carson, 1, Nora, 2 months—Gonzales’ day starts at 6 a.m. and ends at 10 p.m., although she still gets up periodically throughout the night to feed and check on Nora. 

What goes on in between in the life of a stay-at-home mom one might ask?

Well, according to Gonzales, lunchtime for her consists of leftovers from her kids’ lunches, going to the bathroom is often accompanied by an audience, naptime for her three children is almost always unsynchronized, and cooking dinner is immediately followed by cleaning up, bath time, putting her kids to bed, more cleaning up, and finally hitting the sack herself. 

“Don’t get me wrong, my life is wonderful and I am beyond blessed to have these three little kids in my life, but for people who think that stay-at-home parents just sit around and do nothing all day, they are 100 percent wrong,” said Gonzales.

Prior to become a stay-at-home mom, Gonzales said that she was working approximately four to six days a week from 4 a.m. to noon at Target while also attending Modesto Junior College full time.

“Trying to go to bed early when my first-born wanted me to stay up and play was almost impossible,” said Gonzales. “Most of the time my sleep would suffer from being up with her either playing or with feedings.”

For approximately eight months, Gonzales juggled work, school, and being a mom as best as she could. Despite her efforts, however, Gonzales still felt as if she was missing many of the crucial milestones of her first daughter Abigail’s life, such as Abigail’s first words and her first crawling escapades. 

“Since I was young, I wanted to be there 100 percent for my kids, in every way that I could,” said Gonzales, “but with the hours that I was working, I felt like I wasn’t even there 50 percent. It was very hard.” 

It did not take long for Gonzales and her husband to realize that it would be best for Gonzales, her family, and arguably her health, to quit her job and focus solely on being a mom instead.

“We knew things would be a little tight financially at first, but we talked about it and knew it was for the best,” said Gonzales. “My daughter needed me at home.”

Gonzales reported that just a week after she had quit her job, she found out that she was pregnant with her second child, Carson. Described by Gonzales as a “blessing in disguise,” this news only further validated the couple’s decision for Gonzales to become a stay-at-home mom. 

Now with three children, Gonzales noted that one of the biggest challenges associated with her decision to become a stay-at-home is unarguably financial. 

Although she reported that her husband has a “sturdy job,” the couple still had to go over their budget to figure out how they were going to rearrange their budget since they had effectively lost one full source of income. 

“Our grocery budget had tightened a tiny bit and our eating out money was broken down to only a few times a month,” said Gonzales. “Dates with the husband turned cheap and day trips were every once a while.”

“But even with things a little tighter we could do things just as fun without spending money! One thing would be grabbing a 79 cent ice cream cone from McDonalds and going to the park that was down the street from our house,” continued Gonzales.

In addition to financial challenges, Gonzales added that sometimes she feels like she loses herself in a household of “diaper changings and Disney movies” and that simply getting out of the house with three kids under three years old is nearly impossible — even if she decides to go by herself. 

“It feels like we are always cooped up during the day and it’s not because of financial reasons,” said Gonzales. “Sometimes I wish I had three sets of arms instead of one!”

Although Gonzales recognizes the inevitable challenges associated with being a stay-at-home mom, she revealed that for every challenge, there are double the rewards.  

According to Gonzales, one benefit she associates with being a stay-at-home mom is the ability to be there for her children if they ever need anything, whether they are uncomfortable, sick, needy, or just want someone to play with. 

“Some people say that I have gone crazy because I don’t talk to any adults during the day,” laughed Gonzalez. “Maybe I have — but I can tell you that going crazy with the three greatest children God has blessed me with it the best way to lose my mind!”

Gonzales also reported that her being a stay-at-home mom has also improved her relationship with her husband. Now that she is not juggling work, school, and being a mom, she is no longer in a “grumpy mood” and is better able to connect with him and hear about his day. 

“I just have such a big appreciation for all that he does for our family,” said Gonzales. “Whereas before it was both of us working, now he is the only one who works late and brings home the check.”

“I know it must be hard—and to do it all by himself for a family of five takes hard work and love,” continued Gonzales. 

Overall, the biggest benefit Gonzales has derived from being a stay-at-home is the ability to spend more time with her children, especially with her son Carson who was born with a birth defect, yet who still managed to hit each milestone “like a champ.” 

“It is a blessing to watch my kids grow up before my eyes and understand that not everyone gets this opportunity,” said Gonzales. 

Gonzales reported that her decision to be a stay-at-home mom is not permanent, as she plans to return to school in the next couple of years to finish her Liberal Arts degree — however not until at least two of her kids are in school.

Albeit returning to school and work is on the horizon for Gonzales, she is more than happy in her current full time position as a stay-at-home and she hopes that her three budding children are more than happy too. 

“I really hope my children benefit from having a strong and sturdy relationship with each other, myself, their father, and a big relationship with God and their faith,” said Gonzales. “That’s what I team them everyday: love each other and your parents — but most of all love and trust God, for He gave you this most perfect and blessed life you have!”