Well, it's official.
I quit my job to be a stay-at-home mom this week.
This decision wasn't made lightly and before I get into the reasons why we actually did it, I have to preface this post by saying: we are not rich! We don't have a plethora of money. We don't own a home, have fancy cars, or expensive taste. Truly, we are "regular" people, but have made several sacrifices in our lives that has led me to be able to quit my job.
So, why did we make this choice?
Simply, for us, it seemed like an easy choice to make.
Being Present
First and foremost, the idea of not being with my son for his crucial developmental years...was honestly heartbreaking to me. If you're a mom you know: your baby/child is growing and changing every single day (sometimes it feels like they change by the hour). I wanted to make sure I'd be there, truly there, to witness all the exciting changes, the little milestones, the big milestones, and everything in between. I want to be there to make all my son's meals, go to the grocery store together, take the dog for walks, play outside, read 100 books per day, change every diaper, be the one to pick him up when he cries, and know which toy is his favorite one right now. I didn't want (and don't want) to hear about all these things from a babysitter or a childcare worker.
Replicating my Childhood
Everyone's childhood is different. I am so thankful for mine, because my mom was a stay-at-home mom until I was about 13 or 14 years old (I'm the youngest of my siblings). My parents were together when I was little, and their divorce was what led my mom back into the workforce in my teenage years. I have countless memories of my mom being there when I was growing up; not just in the big moments, but in the small, everyday times too. She cooked us breakfast, walked us to school, volunteered in the lunch program, was a girl guide leader, took us for swimming lessons, drove us to friend's houses, encouraged us to do our homework right after school, etcetera.. etcetera.. etcetera. In those formative early years, my mom was just there. I knew that was special & important, even back then. As I grew up, I always dreamt of being able to be "that mom" when I had children in the future. My husband's mom was a stay-at-home mom as well, so he echoed all those same feelings.
Saving Money (?) as a Stay-at-Home Mom
There are so many different ways to look at the financial side of being a stay-at-home mom. On one side, you don't bring in any money for your family which can be a struggle. On the other side, you save money from not needing to pay for childcare & gas to drive to work. I think that for me, the financial side of being a stay-at-home mom runs deeper than just the cost/savings at face value. As a society, we tend to hold our value as a person with how much money we make; you're better if you make more money, you're less-than if you have a low paying job. I don't agree with this sentiment. I truly believe that being a mother is the most important thing in the world, and the most important job. Sure, I left a relatively high paying job to go to a job where I make zero dollars, but the trade off is that I get to raise my son to be happy, confident, capable, strong, smart, and loved. What could be better than that?
I'm so happy to have made this choice. Maybe I'll miss aspects of my previous job at certain points in my life, but I genuinely know that this is a decision that I will never, ever regret.
*Please note that the photos in this post are stock images. These are not photos of me or my family.
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