SAHM--The Announcement

Yes, the time has finally come and I've decided to stay home with the kiddos! Never ever (truly!) in my mind did I think I would opt out of my career since I took so much pride in being Little Ms. Independent.

One of my favorite books I read in my twenties is Sex vs. Power. It's all about women's struggle to catch up with men in business, politics, et al even in today's modern day society. Nature continues to hold us back preventing us from knocking down doors, breaking through glass ceilings and making the same amount of money as our male counterparts. We are risky investments when there is a greater than 50% chance we will opt out once the belly turns into a reproductive oven. I recall having the thought numerous times, 'no way...never me...I will always be financially providing for my family'.

Of course, everything changes when you start a family. Ahhhhhh, humility. I was at the peak of my real estate career and then I got pregnant. Once Emmett arrived, priorities changed. Summer 2007 in Seattle is when the market crashed and we didn't really start feeling the pain until 2008. Being a REALTOR was losing its appeal (more on this later) yet throughout this downward spiral my ego kept telling me, 'Jodi, this is what you do and you are going to continue doing it regardless of ups or downs.' Justin delicately asked me to reconsider my efforts multiple times and this conversation started sounding like a broken record. He was asking me to give up a part of myself and understood how much my professionalism meant to me, so the subject inevitably died. Once we found out about Anya's arrival, the conversation picked up in frequency and intensity. Many times we agreed to disagree and mentioned hiring a business coach.

So, I FINALLY called my wonderful friend, Tamra (www.tamrafleming.com), who has been coaching people for years. She is the most enlightened, grounded, non-judgmental friend I know. After 2 sessions with her, I knew this was the route I needed to go. For now, I am just enjoying the change and growth. It feels right. It's best for our kids. That's all I need to focus on for now. Anya. Emmett. Daddy. And we can never forget the puppies. Moi, too.