Contemplating becoming a homemaker? This is the story of how I transitioned into staying home full-time, and why this blog was created.
Becoming a homemaker at the age of 22 is not a typical path in today’s society. My path to get to this point was not linear, and it took years of tough decisions, physical moves, and sacrifices. Being a homemaker for myself and for my husband is truly one of the greatest joys in my life. I will share some of the obstacles I faced, and how A House Full of Home was created in spite of these obstacles.
This post is all about how I became a homemaker at the age of 22.
Becoming a Homemaker
My Story
In my generation, becoming a full-time homemaker three months after graduating college is not common. I never expected it to happen; I had career goals like every other young graduate. But, the universe had a different plan in mind for me. As I may not be a full-time homemaker forever, this is where I am in my life, and I am learning how to embrace and appreciate this time. In the middle of 2021, I was a 21 year old newlywed, a grad student, and held a full-time marketing position. My schooling felt empty, and my job lifeless. I would come home, eat dinner with my husband, and do homework until late into the night. I was tired and unfulfilled. A month after I graduated and five months into my first full-time job, my husband got a job offer in a different part of the state. I was offered a remote position from my employer, but after many late night talks between my husband and I, we made the decision for me to transition to staying home for a while once we moved.
My Experience With Corporate America
Making this decision was not one we made in a day, but it definitely felt like the natural next step for us. We had to weigh a lot of different pros and cons, but ultimately we made the decision that I would decline the remote position, and take time to settle into our new life. I would begin to apply to jobs when I felt ready again. We ended up moving twice that year, but when we were in our new home and were more used to our surroundings, I began applying to jobs in the marketing field. Job after job, I received the generic email saying that I had not been chosen to proceed with an interview. I had plenty of businesses who never responded to me, and even drove an hour for an interview that I was turned away from because the manager “forgot about it.” Time after time, I was turned down for jobs that I was qualified for. I began to feel unworthy, and began to question my degree and skills. Why had I worked so hard in college only to be declined from every job I applied for? No one told me this would happen.
I spent many nights confiding in my husband, telling him how I couldn’t understand what I was doing wrong. I even told him my secret. A secret that I had been keeping for a while now. My secret was that every time I got declined or turned away from a job, a part of me was happy. I was ashamed to tell him that, because I am such a hard worker. I felt like I had to hold a corporate job with my MBA. My husband looked at me and sincerely told me that maybe my goals were shifting. After that conversation, I admitted to myself that I wanted to care for our home full-time more than I wanted to climb the corporate ladder. The goals I once had as a bright-eyed 18 year old were slowly morphing into new, more updated ones as I began to experience real life. My goals were no longer centered around school or a career, they were centered around creating a home for my husband and me, and experiencing a slower life. I wasn’t giving up, I was starting a new chapter.
Not Producing Enough
This new chapter did not come without its struggles. I found myself feeling like I was not “producing” enough. All my life, I was overcommitted and equated my worth to how much I got done. Less than two years ago, I was in grad school with a full-time job, all while volunteering my marketing services to a local non-profit. Flash-forward two years, I’m graduated, in a brand new town, and am not working the conventional 9-5. I began feeling like I was not doing enough. The photography business that I had been trying to grow was at a standstill. I was not being fulfilled by it in the way I once desired. I knew only a handful of people within a 350 mile radius of my home, which proved to be problematic to a new, service-based business.
So, I started to apply to jobs again. This was not really what I wanted, it was just the only solution I knew of for my problem. Whenever I would apply to a job I thought to myself “Maybe the reason I didn’t get the last one was so I could get this one.” But with every rejection, I learned that was just not the case. After more frustrating encounters with Corporate America, I knew I had to try something different. The goal of my job search was not to make me feel bad or less than; it was to give me a job that I could find purpose and joy in. At 24, with less than a year’s experience in a corporate offie job, I came to the conclusion that this was just not in the cards for me. Unless I created it for myself.
The Start of A House Full of Home: My Intentions
One day while clearing off my laptop, I found an old document I had made with ideas for a blog. I had forgotten all about it, and it peaked my interest again. I had solid ideas for content, and felt excitement about it. So, here I am, pursuing yet another one of my interests. Maybe this could be the purpose I’ve been searching for. Maybe this is the reason why no one hired me. Above, I talked about feeling like I wasn’t producing enough. But maybe I was looking at it all wrong; maybe my purpose is already within my lifestyle, I just had to realize it. I hope you want to follow along with me as I navigate this time in my life, and as I reflect on my experiences and on how people in similar positions can fuel their minds and souls. My goal is to write content centered around homemaking, and how we as homemakers can cultivate the feeling of home. I am simply writing from my heart, and write with intention as I use my experience to help those who read my content. My goal is to create a community of like-minded people who can communicate, connect, and collaborate with each other. I want you to understand a piece of my heart. Thank you for being here, let’s turn your house into a home!