Why I gave up my TV career to be a WAHM {Guest Post}

This is a guest post by my friend and fellow blissful blogger, Jayme.

My hair is coifed, my face is made up and my suit is crisp as I stand in the studio. I look straight into the camera and deliver my spiel, “This is Jayme Brucal, reporting.”

Millions watch me on TV everyday. I am famous and I am earning lots of money.

Or at least, that’s how my 7 – year old self imagined my career would be when I’m 25 years old.

When I was a kid, folks around me would always say I spoke well and I could be a great newscaster. So I followed that dream throughout my young life.

As I was growing up with my two brothers, my mom gave up her job to take care of us. She’d be there when we woke up, preparing breakfast and helping us get ready for school. She’d be there when we get home to help us with our homework. I loved how she was always there for us.

But times were tough for us as a single income family. So early on, I resolved to be a career woman. Sure, I’ll get married and have kids but I’ll be a working mom.

Straight out of college, I got into one of the top television networks in the country. I worked my way up, from being a researcher of one of the longest running morning shows in the country to being the executive producer of an award-winning talk show.

My dream to become a reporter took a backseat but I was building another career behind the scenes. I was becoming the career woman I wanted to be.

Back in the day, during my TV producing days, when i could still wear tank tops and skinny bottoms.

And then they arrived. One year after the other. My two daughters who would change my life forever.

I thought I could go on being a working mom just as I resolved I would, but it was harder than I thought.

More than two weeks after giving birth, I remember the anxiety I felt leaving my firstborn at home so I could go back to work.

It didn’t take long before my irregular hours and my self-inflicted guilt moved me to look for an alternative.

I said goodbye to my dream and hello to uncharted territory: a regular desk job.

By this time, my second daughter had arrived and though I should have overcome the separation anxiety, the heartache was still the same.

Ironically, I thought working from 9 to 5, five days a week would give me more time to spend with my daughters. Besides, I would have benefits and parents need that, don’t they?

I tried it for a year before I finally gave up. I needed the regular income and the benefits, but my girls needed me more.

I thought there had to be a better way. I wanted to be there for my girls, just as my mom had always been there for us, and I also wanted to earn an income so I can help provide for our family.

It might seem like an ideal situation. You can’t really have your cake and eat it too, can you?

But for me, it was a must. Being a mom to my girls is a full time and lifetime job that only I can fulfill. I wanted to be present for my kids during these crucial formative years when they need me the most.

My two girls inspire me to be a better version of myself.

And so once again, I found myself in unfamiliar ground: being a work at home mom.

Having been handed jobs for most of my working life and having zero business background, I’ve been scared to my wits as I start this WAHM journey.

I took on a part time job as a university lecturer while I am learning and building my parenting blog and a blog development business.

It’s tougher and more challenging than I ever imagined. But having time to witness my girls’ daily milestones makes it all worthwhile.

Some might think I’m wasting my talents and my college degree. But deciding to be a WAHM has led me to find my true calling: helping others through writing and teaching.

And though I feel I’m back to square one, it helps to have a community of WAHMS who have your back and who are willing to help you succeed. It’s inspiring to see moms who have already done what I want to do.

My hair is tied in a messy bun, my face is bare and my t-shirt is baggy as I deliver my closing spiels for our bedroom talk show, “That’s it for today’s show, see you tomorrow.”

My girls are sitting on the mat clapping, the audience that matters most to me.

I’m not famous nor do I have lots of money. But I’ve got something no talent fee can match: moments when my girls say, “You’re the best mom in the world!”

Priceless.
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Jayme Gatbonton is a mom to two girls aged five and four. After working as a media professional for 9 years, she is now a part time teacher and part – time WAHM. She writes parenting tips at Optimommy to help moms become intentional parents. She also runs MomBlogger to build blogs and online shops for WAHMs and mompreneurs. Apart from her hubby and her daughters, she loves blogging, books, chocolate and the color pink.