As some of you know from my introduction, I am a full time teacher at a public school.  I teach second graders five days a week.  Next year I am going half time at that same school.  I may or may not be working in the same position, only time will tell.  It is very important to me to be home with my little one.  So, my husband and I ran the numbers and decided that our budget would allow me to stay home part time.  This means I will be home with my baby boy four to five days a week and the other two to three days a week my dad, who is retired, will watch him.

Making the decision to stay at home can be a difficult one.  There are many things that women question, such as, “I have always been a working woman, will I be stir crazy staying at home, just me and the munchkin?”  or, “Will we be able to make ends meet without two full time incomes?” and finally, “Will we be so strapped for cash that I will resent being at home, will we still be able to have the same quality of life we are affording now?"

While these answers will be different for every woman, I will share with you my thoughts on these questions.  The first question, “I have always been a working woman, will I be stir crazy at home, just me and the munchkin?” was an easy one for me.  While I do enjoy my job, I am thrilled with the thought of being a homemaker.  My husband and I both work right now and so we share the household duties.  However, I enjoy cooking and making my home my haven.  I am also very excited thinking about all the things I will be able to do with my little boy; playing and spending time together.  Honestly, I don’t have enough time now to do all the things I would like to do, so wondering if I’d be stir crazy and not be able to find enough to do never crossed my mind!

The second question, “Will we be able to make ends meet without two full time incomes?” was a much more difficult one for us.  Being at home was a priority for me, and so we will make some adjustments to our current spending so that I can stay home.  I whole-heartedly suggest that you work out a budget before hand – even if you aren’t planning to stay home, everyone should know where their money is going!  There are lots of ways to cut your spending, you just have to decide what you are willing to cut and where the budget can be a little leaner.   Even if you have a budget, changing from two full time incomes to one, or in my case one and a half, is a scary decision and should be made with all parties who will be effected having a say.

Finally, the last question, “Will we be so strapped for cash that I will resent being at home, will we still be able to have the same quality of life we are affording now?” is one I hear a lot in my workplace.  Less income means you’ll be affording less things.  This seems like a no-brainer and to some it is a deal-breaker.  Having less money coming in might mean fewer or no vacations, less or no eating out, not buying new clothes, etc.  In my case, I felt that being at home and seeing my little one during these precious moments was more valuable than all of these things.  Yes, it might mean we won’t go on vacation for the next few years.  There are lots of fun things you can do that cost little or no money at all, get creative and you won’t see it as a loss.  Yes, it will mean I won’t be buying new clothes, but I won’t need them because I won’t be going to work as often and I can just keep wearing what I’ve got.  Yes, it will mean less eating out, I actually prefer a home cooked meal and I won’t be exhausted from being at work all day, so cooking won’t be such a chore.  All of this seems insignificant when I think about getting to see my little boy do all of his “firsts.”  I have heard other women I work with worry that their children will miss out on things if they have less income because they won’t be able to afford to buy them things, take them places, or pay for extra-curricular activities.  My opinion on this is that what your children want most, and what they will remember after they are adults is the time you spent with them, not the things you bought them, nor the places you went.

These are my opinions, and they are just that, opinions.  Each woman will have to determine what her priorities are and what is important for her family.  Not every family can afford for one parent to stay home, and that is okay.  But, if it is your priority to stay home, I pray that God would give you the insight on how you can make it happen, what ever that might mean.