Stay at Home Moms vs Working Moms

Many women have careers before they began their family. But once the first child arrives, it is time to decide whether to be a stay-at-home mom or to go back to work. There are many factors that go into this decision and it is different for every family. Making a decision to stay at home with the children or join the workforce can be a difficult process. I have been fortunate to experience being a stay-at-home mom for three years. I’ve come o realize the benefits of becoming a stay-at-home mom versus a working mom is having more time with the children, less stress, and it saves financially. One of the biggest and most obvious benefits of being a stay-at-home mom is the amount of time available to spend with the children. A stay-at-home mom is assured her children are being raised in a healthy, positive environment. Stay-at-home moms can expect fewer doctor bills, some children don’t come in contact with as many viruses and bacteria at home than at a daycare. If they do get a cold or the flu, the parent at home does not have to scramble to find care or ask for a day off of work. They are already at home with the child. Mothers at home have their busy days, but also have days where they spend time doing things just for the kids. They can go to the park at a moments notice. As a stay-at-home mom, I have the time to sit with my children and read books, play with race cars, and teach them the letters of the alphabet. Some benefits of being a stay-at-home mom is the mother is able to teach and educate her children, and have more consistent discipline. By staying at home, mothers can ensure that their children have the best start in life, by giving them the love and support they need. Staying at home can mean reduced stress to a slower, less frantic pace. While the world around us is going a million miles an hour, my children’s world is calm and stable. There is no morning rush to get everyone out the door and there are no chaotic evenings where we are not sure who is going to cook supper. I can give my children the time they deserve instead of cramming in time here and there. It is true that raising children can be stressful, but mothers who stay at home have less stress upon them than the working moms. Probably one of the biggest factors helping to decide if a parent should stay at home with the children is whether it is economically feasible. In many small ways, my being at home enables us to live on less (which means we have less income). Because I am at home, I have the time to keep track of our finances month-to-month and put together a detailed shopping list which helps keep our grocery bill to a minimum. Transportation expenses also often drops for stay-at-home moms. This can also decrease the premiums of auto insurance. A benefit of staying at home has the ability to save on or even eliminate the cost of child care. One of the most easily forgotten factors is taxes will decrease with the loss of that second income. After all, the decrease in taxes is not only in terms of dollars but also in the tax bracket. A stay-at-home mom eats out less often on average. Also the amount a stay-at-home mom spends on clothing generally goes down significantly. There is little need for a stay-at home mom to constantly buy new clothing. When a mother decides to stay-at-home, she can cut the hidden cost of work funds. Stay-at-home parenting is a full time occupation and definitely not and easy one. For my husband and I, we felt that taking a more active role in our children’s care, raising them up in the things we believe, and teaching and loving them for those precious early years would be beneficial to them. The best part of staying at home is setting my own schedule and getting to do fun things with my kids. Each set of parents has an idea of how they want their children to be raised. No one can raise children the way parents want except the parents themselves. There is a special bonding and interaction that grows and takes place between parents and children when either parent is able to stay at home. Sharing everyday life with kids, seeing them growing on a daily basis and giving the love and attention the need can make both parents and kids happy.