Great Reasons to Be a Stay at Home Mom or Dad

Are you a stay at home parent? What made you want to be a stay-at-home mom or dad? Was it that you wanted to spend more time with the kids? Did you dislike your job?

I asked a question once on Hubpages: What made you decide to be a Stay-at-home-Mom or Stay-at-home-Dad? I was delighted by the answers I received. Thank you to all who told a bit of their story.

I would like to share what made others decide to be stay-at-home-moms. I think you'll find their reasons to be real and honest. I’d also like to invite you to read some of their hubs; they too share their experiences with parenting, and I think you’d enjoy what they have to say. Find these hubbers on my question page.

Here are some of their reasons to be a stay-at-home-mom:

• Milestones and growth wouldn't be missed. Don't you hate hearing from the child care giver that your son or daughter just took their first step or said their first word? When you're at home, you're the one to witness your child's first everything! Keep your camera handy...
• You can give your children solid bases on which to grow up. Your children get to learn from you and your values, not someone else's values which may not match your own.
• Day care isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Finding problems with your daycare? Are too many children getting sick? Do you find that the care givers spend too much time on the phone and not enough time with the kids?
• Why pay others to raise our children? This is where you need to think about finances. Is it worth it having a 9 to 5 job and receive a paycheck only to turn right around and hand the money to someone else? My husband and I figured out that it cost more for me to travel to work, buy clothes for work and give money to a care giver than for me to stay home with the kids. Imagine that!
• Juggling work and home became an issue for the boss. Not all bosses are like this (mine was great!) but some bosses do not understand that you have a life outside of your job that sometimes that is more important to you than your job. You might lose promotion opportunities or the such if your boss does not understand why you may have to stay home two days in a row to care for an ill child...
• Happy childhood memories can be made. So many happy childhood memories can be made with you, not a stranger. YOU can take your child to the park, YOU can make messy finger paintings, YOU can fly a kite, YOU can bake cookies, etc.
• You get opportunities to help out at school. It's so important that parents become involved in the schools. When you're home, you don't need to ask for the day off to read a story to the class or chaperon a trip or help at the book sale.
• Real meals can be cooked for the family. Find yourself buying takeout or fast food on the way home from work? If you like and can, you can make your own real meals when you're at home. Think of how much more nutritious your meals will be compared to fast food! Even if you hate to cook (ahem, me) you can do so much to improve the health of your family.
• You can be there to help with homework. Sometimes you're just too tired at the end of a work day to even think about homework, but if you're at home, you can help with homework as soon as your kids get home. That way, the homework is done, you can eat as a family, and the rest of the evening is yours.
• You can be home with them after school. Were you a latchkey kid? Think of how happy your children will be if you're home to greet them after a long day of school (okay, maybe not the teenagers, but inside they appreciate it). You can be the friendly face that meets them and hears about their day.
• You can take them places, like day trips, lessons or sporting events. When you work, you need to take days off to go on trips with your kids. When you're at home, you're the boss! You can take your kids to the park, the zoo, shopping, a ball game, etc.
• You can create happy memories about you as a parent. Remember when your mom or dad had fun with you? You can be a happy part of your child's childhood memories. How sweet is that?

Did these moms make sacrifices to do all of this? Yes they did. Some had to give up careers or the dream of a career. Others had to give up other dreams. Despite this, they saw the value in being home with their children, something they could never gain back if they were to miss it now.

Is being a stay-at-home-mom (or parent) for everyone? No. Some parents choose not to do so, which is perfectly fine for them. Being a working parent can be rewarding too, but it doesn’t come without its own set of challenges (I know! I was there at one time). There are other parents out there who desire to be home with their children but simply cannot afford to do so. To these parents I say make the most of the time you do get to spend with your children. You are working very hard for their futures, which is an awesome thing to do. I salute you as well!

And so I continue my own journey as a stay-at-home-mom, my new full-time job with amazing benefits and a promising future.

Please don't forget to read the hubs of those who answered my question. They too deserve plaudits!

©ThePracticalMommy