Being a stay-at-home mom to a teen and a 5-year-old is pure hell! My husband? No help at all because HE’S WORKING!
Like being a housewife doing all the laundry, cooking, cleaning, raising, and serving them all isn’t a job? So, lately, our kids have been totally crazy like never before. I held it together as much as I could, but when Tom and Eliza got grounded again, they said the words every mom dreads: “I HATE YOU! I WISH YOU DIDN’T EXIST!” I ran to my room, crying my eyes out.
When my husband came home, he said IT WAS MY FAULT! I was so done. So, I decided to teach them all a lesson they’d never forget!
That night, I packed a small bag, took my purse, and left. Not forever, of course. Just long enough for them to feel what life was like without me. I booked a cheap motel room across town, turned off my phone, and for the first time in years, I had peace. No whining, no demands, no messes to clean up. Just me, a quiet bed, and a takeout meal I didn’t have to share.
Meanwhile, back at home, chaos erupted.
Tom couldn’t find clean socks. Eliza had a meltdown because no one remembered to make her favorite breakfast. My husband, who thought his only job was “providing,” suddenly realized the house didn’t run itself. No food magically appeared on the table. No laundry folded itself. And the mess? It only grew bigger.
At first, they probably thought I’d be back in an hour or two. When morning came and I still wasn’t there, panic set in. My husband called my mother. She had no idea where I was. He called my best friend. She played along and said, “Oh? You mean she left? What could’ve possibly made her do that?”
By the second day, my absence became undeniable. My husband had to take a day off work to take care of the kids. He called in sick, and suddenly, he got a taste of what my “not-a-real-job” life was like.
He made breakfast—burnt toast and undercooked eggs. He tried to dress Eliza—she screamed because he didn’t know she hated pink socks. He asked Tom to help, but of course, Tom was too busy sulking over his lost PlayStation privileges to lift a finger. The house turned into a war zone.
By evening, the texts started rolling in:
“Where are you?” “Come home, please.” “I’m sorry.”
I ignored them. Not out of pettiness, but because I wanted them to truly feel it. To appreciate everything I did, every single day, without acknowledgment or appreciation.
On the third day, my husband left a voicemail, his voice tired and strained. “Babe, I get it. I really do. Please come home. We need you. I need you.”
That was what I was waiting for.
When I walked through that front door, the sight that greeted me was both tragic and hilarious. Dirty dishes piled in the sink. Toys scattered everywhere. A mountain of laundry in the hallway. And in the middle of it all, my husband, with unkempt hair and dark circles under his eyes, holding a frazzled Eliza and looking at me like I was some kind of savior.
Tom ran to me first. “Mom, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said! We need you.”
Eliza followed, wrapping her tiny arms around my legs. “Mommy, I missed you.”
And my husband? He came up to me, put his hands on my shoulders, and said something I never expected: “I was wrong. I should have helped more. I should have appreciated you more.”
That night, the house still wasn’t perfect, but the shift in attitude was. My husband made dinner—terrible spaghetti, but I ate it like it was gourmet. Tom actually helped clean up without being asked. Eliza snuggled up to me, refusing to let go.
And the best part? My husband and I sat down and made a new plan. One where I wasn’t the only one running the house. One where he’d be present, where the kids had responsibilities too.
I learned something, too. That it’s okay to step away when you feel invisible. That sometimes, people only appreciate you when they see what life is like without you. And that real love isn’t just about providing—it’s about sharing the weight of life.
So to all the moms out there feeling unseen, unheard, or unappreciated—take that break. Make them see. And don’t feel guilty for it.
If you’ve ever felt like this, share this story. Maybe someone else needs to hear it, too.
