[MiaCamille]

If money we're not a problem would you be a stay at home mom or still work? I'm a stay at home mom and i've worked before when my 2 oldest we're younger but now i just love being home, What would you do?

[LeanyBean]

I am a stay at home mom and I love it 99% of the time. I need some me time now and then.

[MiaCamille]

oh boy do i understand that i need me time also...

[asco00]

I have an infant again, so I stay at home. But once she is school age I will return to work. I'm currently finishing my degree in education so I can be on the same "schedule" as the kids

[pattiewrites]

I would work, but I work at home so my situation is a little different from most.

[raganlyn]

If money weren't a factor, oh I'd def stay home. I say that now bc I'm tired of sitting behind a desk all day, but my story may change on maternity leave!!!!

[wanttobemommy]

Money is a factor in our decision but regardless I will be staying home. Money is already tight right now as I am not working. But we decided that it was more important to have me home with the baby to catch all those firsts than to have those little extras. My DH can pay all the bills with his checks and we will have enough to survive. But with me not working we wont be able to go out to eat or go to the movies like we do now. I think it is more important to go without those little things that really dont matter to be able to enjoy the special little things that I could miss had I been at work

[mcmama]

Girl, you picked a hot topic. And this is a great forum to discuss it.

A lot of the moms on this site work at home. We have found ways to have flexibility and income in order to be home raising a family. Others work a job for money and would rather be at home.

When I did childcare, many of the moms were already established in careers when they had their children. For them, staying home was not an option, not because they "needed" the money - but because interrupting a career or the ability to produce a significant "real job" income can mean terminating it. For some, there were also questions of being vested for pension.

There were trade offs, of course. No longer could they be expected to stay late to work on a particular project to advance that career, unless their husbands had more flexibility or another family member could work with them supportively. Regardless of whether you pursue a career, a job, or you work at home, parenthood changes things.

A lot of my job in those days was to partner with them in giving their children a safe and happy place to grow while they were working, and keep the communication going so we were involved with each other and mutually with the child.

My child care setting was not for everyone. I had rules about how early you could come and how late you could stay, and I refused to have any child stay for more than 10 hours on any given day, unless there was an uncontrollable emergency (like sitting on the GW bridge for 3 hours) For anyone whose work schedule or commute could not meet that limit on a regular basis, I insisted that they have a grandparent or other relative or close friend pick the child up so that they had a regular routine sense of when the child care day ended and the family time began.

I learned during those years that every mother is a full time mother. Some of us also work other full time jobs out of the home, but motherhood is always full time, no matter what.

[twinzplus3]

I would stay at home. I've really been blessed in the jobs I've had though. Before I had the twins, I was the director of an after school program and my dh was a teacher. So the kids went from me to him. But it was an administrative job and it got to be too much so I quit. I didn't work for awhile and that was nice. . .. . .but then I was pg with twins and that is another job unto itself not withstanding the other 3 kids I had! So now, obviously, I work at home. This is a good situation for me and I will likely go into writing full time once the kiddos are gone. It will take me that long to write my book!

[swt1899]

I would if money were not an issues, but it is. There is so much here in Houston for children... I'd take my children to it all! We have new museums for kids, Theatre activities, symphony activities, the Houston zoo has camps now (I work as a camp teacher this summer), tons of parks, etc. We know that after we begin having a family, money will be extra tight... I'll get creative as much as I can!
We play the lottery here, but haven't had luck! Haha!