Thursday, January 23, 2014

Being jealous of my husband... Confessions of a stay-at-home mom

Can I just be real for a minute?

I've learned something in the past couple of weeks that I am so afraid to admit that the thought of typing my next sentence makes me sweat...

(cue sweating... ugh! I HATE to sweat!!)

I am jealous of my husband.

(Deep breath...)

I am jealous of my husband.

My name is Lindsay... and I am jealous of my husband.

Joey got a raise last week. Like... a big one. I am SO proud of him! He deserves every word of encouragement from his boss and every penny he works so hard to earn.

I was super excited for him ... for about 5 minutes.

And then I got jealous... of my husband.

I found myself wondering where MY boss was... the one who could encourage ME and give ME a list of things I do well and things I could work on in my every day role. I wondered when MY company handed out bonuses... first quarter or last? When can I expect a raise? Where would I get a promotion? How could I work MY way up in the company? When is it ok to brag about the amazing things I'VE accomplished in my job? 

It hit me hard... I am jealous of my husband.

This realization paralyzed me in the kitchen one night... I couldn't move.

How can I be satisfied in the place God has put me if there's even a hint of jealousy in my heart?

I wasn't.

And how can I fully commit myself to my work... to my kids and my family... if I can't find that satisfaction?

I wasn't.

It's not a good place to be...

but it hit me with such an impact that I couldn't just move on... I couldn't just sweep it under the rug and forget it...

so I did what I do...

I closed myself off.

Life is easier that way, after all...

for a while.

And then it creeps in... It wasn't possible for me to speak kindness into my husband's life... I didn't know the words anymore. I couldn't be proud of him or celebrate with him... the ability to share in his success was gone. I didn't want to know about his day and I didn't care about what was going on in his heart.

This worked for me for a couple of days until I realized something else that stopped me in my tracks...

The only common denominator in my choice to take part in the joys of life that my husband wants so badly to share with me or to separate myself from joy entirely...

was me.

I was the problem...

not his success or his job or his raise or his happiness...

it was all me.

All I ever wanted to be growing up was a mommy... it was an 'aspiration' that Joey just didn't understand when we were dating. 

aspiration; the strong desire to achieve something, such as success.

How is staying at home every day, playing with kids an 'aspiration'?

I wanted to be the main influence in our kids' lives like my mom was for us... I wanted to be present in the ups and downs of growing up... I wanted to teach them and be their confidante, their security for as long as they would let me... and selfishly, I wanted to be the one responsible for what they learned and how they use it...

I still want that.... every single day. And I know how incredibly blessed I am that I get to do exactly what I 'aspired' to do my whole life. 

But...

Sometimes changing diapers, cleaning up puke, knowing the bowel movement schedule of every member of my family, being the bad guy, disciplining the same behavior over and over and over and over and over and over and over again gets mundane... it gets boring and dirty and exhausting. And the progress is slow in this job of mine... sometimes it's YEARS before you see the end result of the hard work you've done.

There are days when I long for adult conversation ...or a few hours alone in my car... or a fancy dinner out with colleagues... or to close my office door ... or a hotel bed all to myself... 

or to have my kids run into my arms every night because they missed me all day. I want them to miss me!

 Joey allowed me to close myself off for a couple days ... he knows me and knew I needed some time to process whatever it was that had changed me so quickly.

He cornered me in the kitchen this weekend ...

He's pretty big...

I couldn't get away...

So I confessed...

Without eye contact...

take that you big man!

(but I was super embarrassed and scared to death...)

"I'm jealous of you! I'm so proud of you and am thankful every day for how hard you work so our family can be comfortable and so I can live my dream, but lately I've been jealous of you. I don't have a boss who encourages me and shows me how to improve or tells me what's next in my career if I keep working hard. I don't get raises... ok yes, I get hugs and kisses from the kids and they run to me when they're scared or hurt... but sometimes, most times... that's not enough! I'd love to look forward to every Thursday because that's when I get paid. I need you to encourage me more... and maybe I need to learn how to ask for it.  I'll work on that. Don't get me wrong... YOU are not my boss! You're just the only one who's opinion matters to me when it comes to the job I do and how well I do it... And you do a wonderful job at telling me what a good mom and wife I am... You DO! But... I need to hear from you more. Please."

And then I looked at him... I braced myself for a lecture on how selfish I am and how I need to eat my words and take my own advice and find a job if I'm so unhappy...

 Because my rant deserved all of the above.

But after my rant, when I finally looked at him, his eyes loved me and he simply said...

"Ok."

(And then we made out because, well... That 'ok' was pretty damn sexy!)

(Sorry.)

And it was done.

My jealousy wasn't about his amazing success or raise...

All of my resentment and jealousy and anger toward him was completely misguided... and could have been completely avoided...

If I had simply asked for more.

I have no problem asking for seconds of cake or wine or frozen yogurt or shoes or pedicures...

So why can't I ask for more encouragement, too?

Now ladies... don't give me some lecture on how God is enough and if I would just focus on Him more I would find all of the fulfillment I need.

That's bullshit.

(Sorry.)

And you know it.

My attitude is a direct reflection of my relationship with the Lord... that's true.

But He put us HERE... on Earth... where our lives are molded around some dirty stuff; laundry, puke, mean people, deals gone bad, mortgages, and bowel movement schedules.

That's the truth.

And sometimes ... most times... my relationship with Him is a direct reflection of the mess I've created in my daily life.

So...

My goal this year is to learn how to ask for more...

more encouragement, more 'me' time, more PDA, more help, more date nights, more girls' nights, more play dates, more conversation, more sex, more romance, more honesty, more family nights, more nights away, more surprises, more listening, more wine...

more love.

Just more.

Because all of those things are the good things we have this side of perfection.

And in this dirty life, getting more always means wanting more... but life is so dirty that more of the good things isn't a bad thing, right?!

Asking for it is the hard part.

And I'll do my best to return the favor...

because even though life's not fair and it can get pretty dirty, the very best part is knowing that you've done a little more for someone else, too.

Try both; Ask for more... And then give more. 

Fulfillment.

It works.

16 comments:

  1. I love this! I could probably write a book in this comment, but I'll try to keep it short. I get jealous of my husband too. When he tells me he stopped somewhere on his way home from work, I think about how nice it must be to feel like you got off early and have some extra time to kill. I have no idea what that's like anymore. It's really hard because no matter how much they may feel like they let us know we're appreciated, it may never be enough. We need a measurable way to gage our progress and celebrate our accomplishments like a traditional job would have... It's hard because the workday never ends, there are no promotions, and we can't play hooky. But we're so lucky!

    Stopping by with some comment love from SITS!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing, Kristin... this has been my biggest challenge lately! The pictures people put on FB lately stating how much a mom 'should' make ... they make it worse! LOL!

      Delete
  2. Awesome post! I have gone through the same spectrum of feeling jealous of my husband. He travels for work. His travels aren't glamorous, but in my mind he's on vacation every week! Take care! #SITSBlogging

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mine travels, too... the hard part about that is knowing he's eating out, sleeping without baby monitors in his head, and talking to ADULTS! LOL! BUT... I love it when he comes home ;-)

      Delete
  3. This happens to all of us! Right now both of us are job hunting for better jobs, and sometimes it feels like a competition!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ugh... I can only imagine what that would be like :-/ Good luck on your job search!

      Delete
  4. I couldn't agree more! I love this post and often have the same feeling but then I realize that I can be at home in my PJ's all day and sometimes that is nicer than getting up early and ready for work. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. True... and I know my husband wishes he could be home quite often, too!

      Delete
  5. I can relate to this. My hubby just had his review and received a bonus and as awesome as he is, it kind of feels like his money, his accomplishments. Sometimes I know how hard I work at being a mom and now a blogger, but his work finds more outside praise and approval. I'm glad you worked it out and that he was so understanding of your feelings! :) #SITSBlogging

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He's pretty wonderful! I've just had to learn lessons the hard way... being home is amazing but it teaches you so much about yourself and what you can and can't handle!

      Delete
  6. Simply awesome! I loved it. I've felt this way too, and bravo for realizing what you need and even more so for asking for it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. You are not alone. I love working from home, but there are days when I miss the camaraderie of co-workers. Discussing our kids, drinking coffee, talking all morning about what we're going to do for lunch, and then spend the afternoon talking about what we have to do when we leave work. LOL. I miss the pats on the back from a boss too. But if someone told me that I had to go back to that life tomorrow, I'd probably cry all night. LOL Bloom where you're planted! Thanks for sharing. #SITSBlogging

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment, Kimberly! And I agree... my challaneges aren't any bigger or more difficult at home than my husband's are at work... and I wouldn't trade my 'job' for anything in the world!

      Delete
  8. I wouldn't DARE utter this to anyone. I didn't want to own up to this feeling. I was embarrassed. But when I started secretly applying for jobs with a desire for fleshly attention and worldly adulation. ..I knew that it was jealously. I am SO glad I googled this and found you. Thank you. Godspeed.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I don't even have kids but get jealous of my husband. He's had so many successes this year and my work has been decreasing salaries. I've been looking for another job but there's nothing out there to move into. I'm back in school now trying to switch careers but just feel like I'm spinning my wheels and starting at the beginning again while he is on a shooting star. He's very kind and brings me along but it's just hard. Jealousy is a nasty emotion that I never can seem to shake!

    ReplyDelete

We love to hear your thoughts, but if you leave one please own it and leave a name with your comment :-)