Ladies, how do you feel about being a stay at home mom/wife?

I have worked the entire time that I have been a mother. I will say this- when my first son was born, I had to go back to work when he was two weeks old because of financial problems (financial problems=I married a POS who wouldn't work) and I never bonded with my oldest. I went back to work when my youngest was 6 weeks old and I bonded with him so much more than I did my oldest. The time together really makes a difference. When they were 2&3, I started a new job and I was on midnight shift. I pretty much knew nothing about my kids at that point.. I was working or sleeping and I was a complete stranger to them. I am on days now and I still don't get to see them very much but it's much better than it was before! I would love to have more time with them.

On the other hand, I know moms who are stay at home mom and hate it. They love being with their kids all the time, but they have very little adult interaction and stay at home almost all of the time because only one parent working does make it harder to get by.. but children do tend to be a little smarter when their parent is a stay at home mom. And no matter if a parent will admit it or not, all kids do get annoying at times! Especially when you're sick or in a bad mood. It's a lot easier to manage your time and organize things if you get to stay at home more often, too..

Both of the things have pros and cons. If I had a choice, I'd choose to work part time somewhere, daytime hours.

I have just returned to work part time after staying at home with my son for 8 months. There is pros and cons to both sides, I found that while we had less money coming in, I also didn't spend as much money as my son is only little so we didn't go out much and also I was able to cook more so much less money spent on convenience food, plus less fuel from not driving to and from work everyday.

We probably could have survived with me not working, but I chose to go back to work for a few reasons, 1) so that my husband only had to work 5 days instead of 6, as he needs to spend time with our little boy too, 2) I didn't want to stay out of the workforce too long as it is harder to get back in the longer you are out, and 3) to give me a break from looking after bubs. I love him to pieces but it is nice to have a few hours a couple of days a week without a little person crawling over you, and it makes me enjoy the time I am at home with him so much more.

I went back to work full time after my elder son was born but I found the long hours too stressful and gave up work after about a year. I then stayed home for about 6 years until my younger son was 3. I loved having time with my children, I spent hours drawing, playing, having picnics in the park etc. I didn't have the stress of having to take time off work when they were sick and I watched every play, carol concert, sports day without any hassle. I loved it BUT I'm an adult, and I missed the company of other adults and the challenge of work. When I went back to work I took a job that gave me the school holidays off so I kind of had the best of both worlds. There are advantages and disadvantages to both staying at home and working, it depends on what you need at the time. I really wouldn't want to be home all day with no children, I think that would be quite lonely as most friends would be at work or busy with their children, but it always depends on your personal situation.

Before kids, I worked part time, just to not be bored. After kids I stayed home and took care of them. We have 3 boys. I ended up homeschooling them. They are now 17,19, wo. I do a littl school with the 17 yr old and work part time a health food store (as of last August)

I loved being home with them!

I'm not a mother, but I'd like to be a stay at home wife one day if it's financially able with my husband. And if I ever have children I would want to be there to raise them. What do you think?

I was a working mother (still work but the kids are grown up). If I had it to do all over again, I would stay home. I had excellent day care, took time off work when I needed to for special events, cooked dinner every night for the family, etc. but I missed a lot and so did they.

That being said, it's not for everyone. You should decide what's best for you. If staying home is best for you, then make it work. I think you will only have regrets if you go against what you believe is best for your family. When we made the decision for me to work, it was what was best for our family at the time. If I could do it over knowing now what I didn't know then I would decide differently, but I don't regret it.

I was a stay at home mom for 10 years when our children were small. I LOVED it, but at the same time, I was BORED to death, especially when they were at school. I did the next best thing ~ I became a teacher. I have roughly the same schedule as them, weekends and summers off!

I am a stay at home mom & I really love it. My husband is in college full-time and works during the summertime so it is very important to watch what is spent money wise. I think as long as you are financially stable it is a great idea for you. If not, then there will be many issues and will be very stressful. Having kids is a wonderful feeling and you are never alone but also remember to have your own goals and things you can do for yourself too.

Personally, I would go crazy being a stay at home wife with no children.

On second thought, I'm going crazy being a stay at home mom with 4 children!

But I absolutely refuse to believe that I'm not a productive member of society because I've chosen to not earn a paycheck. My husband earns all the money and we're happy with that. He doesn't treat me as a burden at any time. Staying at home with children all day is a hard job, and he knows that. It really is just a personal decision. It doesn't work for everyone.

It's the hardest and best thing you will ever do!

If I got married and my husband made enough money I would stay at home. Raising kids takes a LOT of work. And I'd rather be doing it than a stranger. But then, I've also had my fill of the working "career" world so I don't think I'd feel unfulfilled.