The full-time job of watching two little girls in my home, that I took on this past summer, has come to an end. The family is being God-directed to move on, back to California from whence they came a few years ago.
It was a strange roll-a-coaster of emotions for me, taking these girls into my home.
I knew the girls and their parents from church, I've been taking care of the them in the nursery on Sunday mornings for about a year before I took the job to care for them in my home.
I was driven to take the job for the extra money that would be added to our monthly budget. We have always lived very frugally with the Painter being the only provider and I never wanted anything more than to be a stay-at-home mother. I, erroneously as it comes out to be, thought that I could have the best of both by working from my home; I could still be that stay-at-home mother and provide for the family finances too.
As I found out, having children who are not your own in your home 4 days a week is definitely work. At the end of each day I was totally exhausted. It was just like going out to a workplace in the morning and returning in the evening for dinner. Many things that I could do as a stay-at-home mother before, I could not do now as a working from home mother. Things I took for granted. I thought it would be easier with these two girls in my home with my own two boys.
Wrong I was, although, I realize that I learned a valuable lesson in this. One I should have already known, though I suppose that sometimes we need to be reminded of the things we think we know.
The lesson is this: while my children are little and need me, my place is at home with them. To make sure my home is the peaceful haven that it should be, I must be mindful of what I invite into our home, even if it is in the innocent guise of extra children. Additional funds to the finances are nice, however not necessary if it happens to be in trade for the happiness of the family.
