What are the ups and downs of being a stay at home parent/spouse?

Question

I personally would like to be a stay at home parents to my children when and if I have some that way I can always be there, because no offence but working moms just dont have as much time for their children. Not that I'm against that, cause like I understand that you do what you can.

Answer 1

Finding balance. Losing yourself
I was a professional woman for several years working for a large financial institution. Everything changes at home there is no start and end time it is 24 hours job.
I love my girls and I am thankful everyday i can be here to help them grow and discover new things. I wouldn't have it any other way. It is not a thankless job it is very rewarding. I just told someone th other day i would much rather be stressed out from my children then stuck in traffic or trying to save an account or anything else my former JOB stressed me out about. I am investing in my children and their future and that is the best way to use my time.
As for the stress and being someone other then mom I have my Mary Kay it is taking a back seat to my children but it gives me an outlet to be someone other then mom a few hours a week and when they are older and in schools I can work more and still be here when they need me. I have made lots of Friends for both me and my children through my Mary Kay business.

Answer 2

I believe being a stay at home mother is the most difficult, important, and righteous position. Raising children is crucial in forming the basic characters for the child. It is mother who has this great task of making a child a successful, good and godly person, or the other wise a crook. Thus, to say the truth, mother is the one creating good or evil of the world, because all successful leaders, even the King, as well as the criminals of the world are produced or much influenced by how the mother nurtures the child. Also creating a home for the family, not just a house, but a home to bond the family to become one nucleus. Is also the most difficult task requiring her patience and long suffering. These are merely 2 amongst so many things a mother can do to form the world.

Answer 3

I'm a stay at home mom. My kids school call me at all hours of the day for little things. They know I can and will be there. I don't have to worry about not being off on a certain day because the kids are out of school and I can't find a babysitter. I don't have to worry about missing a production or field trip because I can't get off work. Now, I miss a lot of adult conversation and interaction but I can usually find people on-line to talk to. Other than that, I can't think of anything bad about staying home.

Answer 4

Well my partner and I discuss this all the time because there has been a huge advancement in women in the workplace over the last 30 years so what we both know as growing up with stay at home mums (well my mum worked until i turned 12 and needed special care during the day) we had the support we needed. He's from a farming family in the countr whereas I was a city born girl.

I believe that if there is enough income to support the woman to stay at home and care for the children then go for it. But if there is not enough income then the family will struggle.
My partner has said he wants me to be a stay at home mother until the children turn 2 because he does not want the children to grow up knowing day care centres from a young age.
But i think it depends on the income. If i earn $700 a week then $40 a day day care is not that much but still I would prefer to leave any of the children we may have at my mothers house to be taken care of that way there is someone that I trust to take care of them if they need anything and I know my mother has experience because she brought me up and she did a great job.
Plus my mother does not believe in child care, especially with how expensive it is, she believes that is what family is for, but my partner does not share this opinion.

It's difficult for me to come to a decision as to the ups and downs of beinga stay at home mum because if you're training for a career but you plan to have children young and are only going for a career until you're able to conceive then is the education going to be a waste? If you understand what i am trying to say.
You study at uni for 4-5 years come out with a degree and then have kids straight away and decide to no longer work, is that a waste?

So getting back onto answering the question.
An up of being a stay at home mum is not having to pay for child care, you do not leave your child in someone elses hands and trust them to do the right thing, instead you are there with them and teaching them what you want them to know.
You are able to care for them while they're sick, if you're a career woman you would have difficulty juggling work and caring for a sick child.
You are able to have a free day where you can relax with your child and be there for them if they need anything.
You can watch their achievements, you can go to their sporting events, you can see them at school and listen to them read and take an active part in their education. You can praise them when they do something at home.
When they say their first word, you hear it, when they take their first step, you see it, when they're able to string along a sentence and write their first word, you can take part in that.
That's a lot of ups! Oh another upside: You're not so tired after a long day at work!

Downsides: Only one income to support you, you may start to feel a little isolated being in the house with your child (This happens with country women) you may start to feel like the only people you see are your children and feel resentment that you are stuck at home with a child everyday. You may start getting upset at the fact you are not bringing any money into the family and it may get to the stage where when money is tight your husband may get upset over this.
With one stay at home wife/mother I know, it's a farming family, and she is set an allowance each month by her husbands mother and she can't/shouldn't go over this.

Answer 5

ups: being there for your kids

downs: your days sometimes meld into each other.

i know that is just one for each option, but those are the only ones i can really think of. i stay at home, educate my children at home. so i am always "on the job". but the best part is being there for my kids.

Answer 6

The downside is no income!

The upside is time for you kids, being there for them

Being a stay at home Mom is equivalent to two full time jobs !!!

Answer 7

Up's you get to be home with your child
Down's they drive you nuts

Answer 8

Up..... get to see your kids grow up
Down...The kids stay at home too