Working or Stay at Home Moms

Working. Never ever considered giving up my career. I work 4 days a week (standard in my field, did the same before my son). DH works 4 days so DS was in daycare 3 days a week when he was little (I was home with him Mondays and DH was home with him Fridays). Now he is in school full time and aftercare 3 days a week. My son will grow up knowing that the woman (assuming here) he chooses as his partner can have as much of a career as he does and that he should have as great a role in child rearing as she does.

I've always worked FT. I was a single mom with my oldest son until he was 5 and then when I got married and had two more children and a step-child added into the mix I was the primary breadwinner and my job has always provided benefits. I did have a nice phase where I was able to work from home several days a week (with the rest in the office) for 10 years but it was quite a work/life balance grind and held me back in terms of career growth. I accepted a promotion 18 months ago that offered a substantial raise but am in the office every day. I leave my house at 7:30 and get home at 6:30 so it's a long day but I can afford a morning and afternoon nanny now. I'm in the middle of a divorce so I've been a single parent again for a little over a year. I'm very glad that I continued to develop my career over the years because the divorce isn't as financially devastating for me and my kids as it can be for other women who scaled back to part-time work or were FT SAHMs.

worked the whole time they were kids, and wished i could have been a SAHM for at least some of it. but it wasn't an option.
it was good anyway. it all worked out.
i'm happy now to have more options, and get to work part time. perfect compromise for this phase of life, even if i wish it had come sooner!
khairete
S.

I have been both. Each have their own unique perspective. If you asked my kids, I think they would say they liked it better when I was home. HOWEVER, when I went back to work they liked the additional income to our family budget!!

I enjoyed my time at home. I got to know my kids as they grew and I had time to volunteer at their schools. It was a blessing but it was stressful as well. Money was super tight but they never went without.

I have been working full time for over 10 years. I love my job and I am good at it. My kids are 28 and 24 so I am glad I have my working career.

I have been a full-time high school teacher the entire time I've been raising my sons (my oldest is almost 19 and my youngest is 12), and it has been perfect for us. Besides having a career I love, the schedule has allowed me to keep the same hours as the boys. For the most part I've been home when they have been. We've been very fortunate.

I stopped working before my oldest was born. I went back to work last year (after taking 10 years off) when my youngest started kindergarten. I'm a teacher and I taught at my kids' school. I volunteered a lot and told the principal I'd be interested in a job once my youngest started school. Worked out perfectly. Then we moved to a different state (military). I chose to stay home this year to get the kids situated (my oldest started middle school) and let my husband transition into his job. We've been married 16 years and we've always lived off my husband's income. I've worked on and off and my paycheck goes into savings. For the first 10 years with kids, it was best for my family to be home.

There is no right or wrong--do what's best for your family! We've lived in 4 states, had 3 kids, and survived 2 deployments over the last 10 years. A career outside the home was not a priority for me. I also have a husband that appreciates and respects my "job" at home.

I've worked full time since mine were born. I liked the financial security and have always had a good amount of flexibility at work and it's very close to home. So I never missed any events at school and could volunteer enough to make my kids feel like I was involved. We were very lucky to have wonderful nannies who are better with small kids than I am. I was home early every day so went to the park enough. I'm not so good at games like our main nanny was. She was wonderful. As the kids got older, I planned to resign but they surprised me and said they like me working and are proud of me. And they like having a nanny. She brings something different to the table. So all the guilt I felt for years was for nothing. I did cut my hours even further so have great balance now. I know not everyone is as lucky as I have been with my boss and company. But I'm so glad I kept working now.

Self-employed. I had a 20 year corporate career, and used that experience to build a business. We had a wonderful nanny for the first few years of our son's life, and being self-employed has given me a lot of flexibility. Personally, I think that our country does not support families where both parents work outside the home as many other countries. I respect every person's choice, but I wonder how many women would continue in the workforce in some way if we had universal, high quality childcare, sufficient parental leave and quality, neighborhood schools.

Not everyone is good at being a stay at home parent, and I'm glad that I live in an era where we have more choices.

I work out of the home and have all along. I don't regret it at all! I've been blessed with wonderful daycare experiences for my daughter, who is now 12. We're there times when I wish I could be with her instead of working? Of course. But I know I would not be a good SAHM. It's not my nature. A friend once told me "It's not the quantity of time, but the quality of time". I absolutely believe this.

I do love being a full time Mom but now that they're almost grown, I have to figure out the next path for myself. Most of my friends worked the entire time and were jealous I got to stay home. Now I'm kind of jealous of them. I think it's the "grass is always greener syndrome".

I was a SAHM for most of it, but now that I realize I have limited time in which I will be able to make money, I wish I'd started back to work earlier.

I was a SAHM from the time my kids were born until the youngest was 9, then I moved into a flexible career that works around their school hours. I wouldn't trade my time at home with them for anything, despite the fact that money was tight. I did miss adult company at first, but quickly found a group of other SAHM's to spend time with. The years I spent at home with my kids were the best years of my life!

I'm fortunate to have experienced the best of both worlds.

I'm ex corporate marketing for a major snack food company. I left that job when we started building our first home and were planning our family.

My husband was in sales and his HQ was typically in NY or somewhere with no one on one customer service.

I stayed home with our daughter, I also managed husband's office when he was out of town, made his travel reservations, and talked with customers.

This helped him a lot and helped me get educated in his field which was plastics. In 2005 we started our own plastics company and I now run it myself since his untimely death in 2015.

I also volunteered a lot and was a substitute teacher for elementary school 15 years. I left teaching in 2015 when I took over our business on my own.

Our daughter is 21 and in sales/marketing at college and she is on my payroll and helps me with social media, web design, calling on customers and negotiating with vendors.

I feel blessed to have been able to be with my daughter along the way full time and be there to give my husband the support he needed.

I am a work at home mom. I work part time while the kids are in school. I started working part time when my youngest was almost 3. She started preschool and I started working just 2 hours a day while she was at preschool 3 mornings a week (and my son was at regular school). Then I hired a babysitter to watch her one more morning a week so I worked 4. Now I work about 10 hours a week. Next year I am going to up this to 20. Working part time is perfect for me. By the way: I also started working part time when my son (my first born) was about 6 months old...I hired a friend to watch him at our house for 2 hours a day. But once my daughter was born I didn't work for 2.5 years. I missed working but at the same time I just LOVED being with her and having quality mom/baby time and then mom/toddler time while my oldest was in school. Those were magical times! I'm a biologist/researcher/science writer/science educational outreach person and I love what I do! I pretty much side swiped my chance of having a serious career but I don't care. I love being part time and feeling more relaxed about things while being there for the kids when they get home from school.

I spent my son's first four months completely with him, then returned to work for a few years. I had been working since I was 16 and honestly, I wasn't used to not earning money. Over time, we've made different choices for our family and I'm a homeschooling parent now. Our family is fortunate in that my husband has a very specialized job and we can afford for me to be home. I have enjoyed each in their turn.

I worked before I became a mom and went back to work after six weeks maternity leave.
I have always been a full time mother, even if I was never a stay at home mother.
I never had any desire to stay at home for eighteen years.

I miss working a lot. I would rather make a living and hire someone to come in and help with the housework than stay at home and have an incredibly messy house all the time.

When I worked outside the home our house stayed clean from day to day due to everyone being gone during the day. When we came home it was to eat dinner, clean up the kitchen, do some fun stuff, get ready for bed and hit the hay. Do big chores on the weekend.

Now it's do laundry all day, do dishes all day, cook all day, take out trash all day, I hate staying at home.

I also miss having my own money to buy some...thing I see. If I want to buy a present? I can if I'm working, because my income is completely helpful for my family.

I know women, and a man or two, that are perfect stay at home parents. But they want to be there doing that. Not me. I am not a maid or servant in my home. I want to pay someone to come in and help me and Me? Out of the house.

Welcome to mamapedia, T.!!

Are you asking for a poll or to peddle something? Sorry - but we've had people come on here and be nonchalant with their questions, then give us a link to a scam.

I am a work from home mom. My boys are 14 and 16. I've been with mamapedia almost 10 years now - since it was Mamasource.

So I guess I get the best of both worlds!

Work and can't imagine being home. When I was home on my maternity leaves (which I was grateful for), I felt isolated.

Both hubs and I work full time. We are lucky to have my parents nearby to provide aftercare. I love my kids and I find the daily grind of parenting and housework challenging and mind numbing and isolating.

In an ideal world I would work 4 days a week, have the 5th day for my enjoyment and pick the kiddies up from school and have after school time with them that 5th day and have weekends as usual.

Best
F. B.

I am a stay at home mom and homeschooler. I do not miss working at all! Although, I wouldn't say I am not working, I just don't earn a paycheck from someone.
I do love staying home and raising my children. I won't lie and say it's perfect all the time. There are days I want to pull my hair out and scream (and so sometimes scream). But they truly aren't every day and in the bigger picture I am very happy with my choices. I see my children do things every day that remind me that I'm doing things right and that's what keeps me going even on the days when finding those moments can be a challenge.
I know that at some point I will have to go back to earning a paycheck so I can qualify for SSI and such and so my husband and I can somehow retire but that's a ways out still. I admit I dread that day. I did a few things before staying at home and I was never very happy and at times was utterly miserable.

Full time work out of the home now that kiddos are in school..hate it ..feel teen years are vital to be physically present

Stayed home from my son's birth 12 years ago until now. I have been working part time and for a while full time sense both kids started school.

I love my vocation of teaching however I don't really miss it because I feel like I am doing it everyday. And my part time/full time jobs have been teaching. I have also become a property manager for some relatives properties so they don't have to deal with the tenants directly.

I love being a stay at home mom (I think every mom is a full time mom). I like my kids knowing that they have someone to call if they need me.

I would go back to work if finances became a problem other than that I am very happy as things are...

I worked and still work. I wanted to be a stay at home mom but being a single mom comes with sacrifices. Since baby needed to eat, have things and a roof over his head, I had to go back to work and make the money to provide all those things. I'm always a full time mom even though I was working.

When I was home for a very brief time after baby was born, I truly didn't miss my job but that was also because I hated the job and the work at the time.

sahm. love it, don't plan on working even when both kids are in school. (unless we need money, then i will pick up a part time job)

I left my FT job when my daughter was born. I went back to work when she was 2. I was itching to get back out there, be an adult and make some money. Been working ever since. My daughter is a straight A student and an overall great kid. I'm happy about the decisions I made although I have my days (but don't we all).

I have done various different things as a mom. (My children are now 14, 11, and 5...all in school full day) I have worked opposite shifts as my husband so that one of us was always home with the kids. I have worked as a nanny so that I was able to take my kids with me. I went back to school and my youngest was in daycare while I took classes. I now work full time on a swing shift.
When I was a stay at home mom I loved most of it. I loved being with my kids, watching them grow, being there for all the "firsts." But...I missed adult conversation, missed "me", and the hum drum of being a stay at home mom can get ...... boring.
As a working mom I love most of it. I love my job, I love having the extra money, I love that my kids are proud of me, I love that I get to spend summer days with my kids. I love that I have taken some of the financial burden off of my husband. BUT....I don't see them very much on W/Th/F. Only when I wake them up and send them off to school. I miss their soccer games. I miss weekend activities with extended family (i work every weekend). This year I will miss Thanksgiving and Christmas morning (CROSS FINGERS that a relief staff person will take Christmas!).
There are pros and cons to both situations. I can't say one has been better than the other. They have both had things that I loved and things that I wished were different.
Good luck to you,