Being a stay-at-home mom is more than just watching TV or having time to yourself; many people consider this an easy profession, yet it is the most challenging job I have ever seen. Some moms feel bad when they have controlling husbands and always feel bad when their husbands neglect them.
When my children were young, I was a stay-at-home parent with four small children. Among the difficulties were my spouse’s financial abuse and disrespect of my close family members and in-laws.
My Hidden Struggles as a SAHM (stay at home mum)
- When I was a stay-at-home mom (SHM), I wasn’t permitted to discuss the family budget; my husband was the one to make the choice.
- As time passed, he showed me little respect, and I was afraid to bring up the subject of money.
- I preferred talking to friends instead of family during financial difficulties.
- I managed to survive for five years without any money in my account. With these challenges, purchasing clothes and shoes took work.
- It was devastating that my husband prioritized his family’s financial well-being over mine. For instance, he could afford to buy good clothes for all his family members but refused to accept even one for me.
- I recall him being in charge of everything, and when I asked him to pay for something for me, he tried to dismiss me.
- The contempt of my in-laws was also terrible; he treated me as if I were just there to spend their son’s money. They even made up scenarios to steal money from my husband.
- I had no access to or knowledge of what he had in his account.
How I Overcome Stay-at-Home Mom Financial Abuse:
Despite having no money in my bank account, I managed to stay alive by being patient and suspicious.
I started a small business that makes things by hand in secret.
And the business grew slowly behind closed doors. After I made some progress with my business, I told my husband about it, and he stopped being rude. He was shocked.
After five years, my business had grown, so I could more than ten times my husband’s income.