Being a Stay at Home Mum

I feel very fortunate to have being able to choose to be a stay at home mum, and feel our children are very well rounded, responsible and respectful members of society because that is the way I have brought them up. I feel sorry for women who haven’t had the support and opportunity I have had from my husband to be able to stay at home and bring up their children the way they want to, instead having to allow other people, often complete strangers to instil the values of life into their kids (which quite often aren’t the same values as yours).

Being a stay at home mum does not suit all women. It is quite often a very thankless job with no recognition except for that kiss on the cheek from your sticky toddler – what more recognition do you need.

Making the Decision to Stay At Home

When I fell pregnant with our first baby, my husband and I made a joint decision that we were going to be the ones to bring up our children. To do this, we did make a lot of material sacrifices. We sold our house which was unsustainable on one income and our holidays were quite often spent visiting family and friends instead of trips to Vanuatu, but we knew that our children were being raised the way we wanted them raised.

We moved to a town where the cost of living was cheaper and my husband was able to get a better paid job, rebuilt our new home and stayed within our budget. To supplement our income and to keep me sane, I found a job where I started in the afternoon when my husband would come home, and take over the childcare. Yes it was tough and quite often tricky as my husband’s hours weren’t run of the mill, so I would occasionally have to drop our little one off at his work or even sometimes take him to work with me (which was ok as I worked in a childcare centre at a resort so he would get to play with the other kids).

You Can Choose – Be A Stay At Home Mum or Have A Career

I guess what I am trying to say is that it is your choice to be a stay at home mum and take care of your kids or you can go back to work and leave your children in the care of others. Don’t let people make you feel worthless or guilty as everybody has the right to make the decision which is right for there particular circumstances.

It is possible for you to be a stay at home mum if that’s what you really want to do. You just need to make a few changes to your lifestyle to enable you to live off one income. No we don’t have the latest gadgets or live in the fanciest house on the street but I did get to see my childrens first steps and console them when they were having a bad day and now I am able to go in the middle of the day to watch them receive certificates or the like on parade and see their classroom play. These moments are irreplaceable.

Our decision for me to be a stay at home mum, has been the right one for us and now my children are becoming less dependent (although sometimes I wonder) I now have the time to pursue my own dreams and goals.

Have a Great Day
Jackie Stenhouse – www.creativewomenonline.com
(Mum of 3 wonderful kids)

Tags: stay at home mum, staying home