SAHM or Working Mom?

Before I got with my now husband, I was a working mom trying to take care of my son without anyone's help. Now I have been married for 6 years (as of july)and I am a stay at home mom. I love staying at home with my kids, but I need to finish school for me.

I've been a SAHM since 1991. I have three girls ages 16, 14 and 10. I didn't intend to stay home this long. I always figured I'd go back to work once the girls were school aged but the school system wasn't good where we lived at the time and I homeschooled them instead.(totally different topic there) I never regret being home with the girls. In my humble opinion, if you can get by on one income, staying home is the best and most rewarding thing you'll do in this life. You never miss the important things like first words, steps, reading outloud,etc. Your children, if you are consistent, will be well-adjusted, well-mannered and an asset to society. That goes for working moms too. However, there's no right/wrong way. It's got to feel right for you. An unhappy mommy makes an unhappy family. Blessings.

hi everyone
when i had my son i worked 30hrs a week and loved every minute of that time although i missed being with him i just loved being me instead of being mummy.but when my son was 7 months old the place i was working for closed down and so i became a stay at home mum althogh i love my son i would love to be back at work he is now 2 and 1/2yrs old and is very hard work at times i am currently looking for work part time because i think that it would be good for both me and my son, me because i find being at home very stressful and furstrating at times and love working, and for my son as he would get to play with other kids and learn how to interact with other people better i would like him to be out going not like me and be shy and find it hard speaking to others so what ever you choose to do when you become a mum don't feel guilty because you want to work that doesn't mean you don't love your baby as much as a stay at home mum,or if you stay at home don't think that you are loving you baby any different to the working mum as were all the same but cope with the change from non mum to mum differently....

I went back to work when my daughter was 6 weeks old - but that was only because we were going to be laid off for the summer so I needed to work that last week in order to get unemployment during our lay off. I had such a great time spending my summer with her that it was hard going back to work in September. Then in February, I lost my job. My husband and I decided that I will only work part time until my daughter is school age. Only problem is, I've got a college degree and nobody will take me on a part-time basis, so I've been a stay at home mom for nearly a year now and I'm loving it!

I do both, stay at home and work. My children are 4 & 1 now. When I had my daughter I was a full time nanny and was able to take her to work with me. Since having my son I run a small family home daycare so I am able to stay home with my children while still earning a necessary income to survive. My children are not attached to my hip, nor have they ever been. My daughter never had seperation anxiety, and neither has my son. Even though they are with me almost every day and have been since birth. They have been raised in the company of other children and this has been beneficial for them.

I have been in childcare for many years and I think each situation is individual. If I compared children's behavior based on whether they were home raised or daycare raised it would not be accurate enough for me to base my own life decisions on. I have seen the best and worst in every situation.

My daughter, being home raised, is also very bright and if you want to go by her pre-k teacher's reviews, well above average and has received, and passed, the tests kindergarten children receive to graduate into first grade. However, that is really of her own doing, I never pushed her to learn things, it just was an every day thing we did for fun. I have seen children in structured daycares her age no where near the same level, while others are beyond. The same for home raised children.

So there is no way to judge what is best in a general sense. We make the best of our decisions. Too much judgement is thrown around at good mothers everywhere because of this. I am all for mom's who work outside the home, inside the home, or not at all and stay home. We mom's love our children and make our decisions, hopefully, for what is best within our own home and life with the well being of our kids a high priority. I am not in the position to put myself on a pedestal and say my way is the way to go. I praise any mother for making her own decisions and loving her children.

I had my daughter when i was 19yrs old. And of course her dad ran out on us and still, 6 yrs later,hasnt returned. So i had no choice but to work and support myself and my child.If i had the choice though, i think i would work part time. Staying at home would drive me nuts and plus I think its very important that kids go to daycare/preschool. It teaches them so much, my daughter is a prime example. Keeping her at home while she was smaller would not have helped her develop a stable routine and she would not have such a good interaction with other kids. My daughter is the best behaved 6 yr old i have ever been around. She is respectful, polite, and has manners. She has never ran wild nor threw temper tantrums(thank god). I blame all her good behavior and intelligence on her daycare.So i agree to staying at home to a certain point. But i dont think that a child should be glued to there mom's hip 24hrs a day. I have seen the behavior of the kids that have stayed home their entire childhood and i wouldnt trade it for nothing. BUt i do wish i had more time to spend with my daughter especially now that she is in school. And because of daycare, my daughter is in an advanced K-1 grade class and is reading 2-3 books a week.Most kids are just learning how to write in K. Thats my story and i am proud for working and proud for putting my daughter in a wonderful daycare program that has taught her so much.