For the periods of time when I did stay home, it was because I could not afford daycare for all my kids. Right now I am kinda liking the SAH thing but we need the money and I do like working. I do not feel that my kids have ever been comprimised in any way by being in daycares. Of course the daycare lady we had for the past 4 1/2 years when all my boys were little was just like a mom to them and my best friend. I was so sad to have to take the boys from there when we moved. We are actually going to visit her tomorrow. Hopefully, I will once again be a working mommy soon.

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~Happiness is a large family~

I chose to stay home because I cannot stand the thought of my kids being with anyone but myself. I do not want to miss out on anything, and I really think it is my job (and DH's) to raise them. My 3 year old HATES when I go to work a few days a week during the evening, even though i leave her with her sister and dad. She is used to me being here and she is miserable when I am not. I am in college, and when the kids are all out of the house all day I will go to work.

AND, with 3 kids under 4 the cost of daycare would be ridiculous I am sure.

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“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”

I am not a SAHM yet. I have been working all of their little lives and to me it really stinks! I feel like I miss out on so much. I only work 4 days a week most of the year but I work for a CPA, so in tax season (NOW) I work 5 and 6 days a week for 3 and a half months. I lose so much time with them and it makes me sick... it made me resent my DH for "making" me work! I make as much money as he does and it has really helped pay for things and extra things too. Honestly, my kids have sooo many toys and clothes and videos, etc that they don't need but I have bought them for them as kinda "mommy feels guilty" presents.

DH and I had a long talk about all of this around Christmas time and he has agreed that I can quit later this year when my contract is up at work. Ever since then, and since I found this website I have already been saving way more and not spending on silly things or guilty gifts. I just love being at home with my girls and making a home for my hubby and I am so looking forward to the time when I can say I am a stay at home mom!!!

Oh, and on the subject of childcare, my MIL watches the kids for us and cleans my house all for $250 a month which isn't bad at all, it's not about the money to me, it's about my kiddos and hubby :love:

Well, before having kids I worked as a therapist with kids and their families. So, I saw lots of families who put "things" as more important than raising healthy kids. I knew that to raise healthy kids the way "I wanted" it needed to be my dh and I doing it. I also knew that working with "challenging" kids all day would (not to mention the parents and then the paper work) drain me and I would not be able to come home and be a good mom. Let alone the stress of getting out of the door with all the "stuff" (diapers, bottles, change of clothes, etc. etc.etc.) would exhaust me.

Now, I am not satisfied with being a SAHM. I know that this is what God wants me to do (God has blessed us over and over for making that decision), but keeping a clean home and playing with a toddler is not my "gift" (give an adolescent any day). I truly feel like my gifts are not all being used. So I have started teaching on the college level. It is very sporadic and when it does happen it is only one night a week for 5 weeks or so. I also work my business which I truly enjoy and know that I get to help other women. So I have found ways to "work" where for the most part I CONTROL my schedule and get grandparents to watch the kids or dh is home.

Don't get me wrong, I know that there are moms who cannot afford to NOT WORK. That is a whole other issue!

When I became pregnant I had no intention of quitting my job but once he was born I couldnt bring myself to go back. I had a decent job with great maternity leave 12 wks 100% paid. I do not regret my decision one bit. I started babysitting part time to pay for weekly groceries. Now I watch 3 other boys and I do like the extra money. However I never missed any "firsts" with my kids and they love having playmates around!

I never planned to be a SAHM but I have been for almost 6 yrs. DH's job relocated us 6 yrs ago, I had to quit a job that I truly loved and leave the only babysitter my older children ever had, it was a hard move for all of us. I always planned on going back to work, at first I was only going to stay home for a few months to get our new home organized and get the kids setteled in their new school, before I knew it 2 yrs had gone by and I was pregnant, then 2 yrs later I was pregnant again. Now with 4 busy kids I can't imagine trying to work. Luckily DH makes enough money for us to live a very comfortable life.

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The reason I stay home with my kids is because going up my mom worked and I was in daycare. I hated it. This was with the home care providers. I was abused and mistreated by many different providers. In the preschool, I loved it. When I met my dh I told him that I had no intentions of working when we had kids. He was fine with that, his mom worked too. When the kids grow up I will go back to work. They have really been great kids and it is a joy to be with them. Youngest dd is disabled and there is no way I could leave her with a babysitter. I could never make enough money for child care for her, so staying home is best choice here.

I don't really consider being a SAHM a choice, for us it was not something we considered, it was just a fact. We knew when we had kids I would take care of them. But we also got pregnant after only being married 6 months so not a lot of time to adjust. I kind of live in my sahm bubble thinking all moms are too, it's hard for me to realize we aren't the majority anymore. Since we Homeschool, I won't be working for a LONG time! I'm just not the sort of person who would pay someone to take care of my kids. Those first years especially when their eyes light up at every new discovery, you don't get those back! I'm also paranoid, so I would worry constantly what was going on when I wasn't there! It would be cheaper for me to have a nanny than put all three kids in daycare, but it's never been an option for us. The kids are our priority. We can worry about big paychecks when they are grown, I am in my 20s now, so I'll be in my 40s when they are out of the house.
My mom was a single mom so I grew up in Daycare, but I had a good one, I liked it. I don't really know where my anti-daycare beliefs come from, I guess mainly b/c things aren't the same now as they were when we were little. It's really hard to find good care now, I don't even leave my kids with a sitter other than my best friends, mom or aunts. I think I've watched too many Oprah shows about child abuse/assult!

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A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.-Eleanor Roosevelt

Although I am not a stay at home mom yet...not a mom yet. When we have kids I want more than anything to stay at home. So now we are getting ready for that. I am trying to save as much as I can and I am also trying to come up with was to supplement dh's income. We are wanting to have a baby next year so I am getting ready and paying down as much debt as possible now.

Its not a matter of money but more that I have always wanted to be a SAHM. Ever since I was a little girl, likely b/c that is what my mom did.

One idea would be to start living on your DH's income only and put all of yours on the debt and into savings so when your little one does come along you will not be depending on your income at all so you won't miss it! Wish we would have done that, I wouldn't have had to work all this time.

Good Luck!