Staying at Home - Pro's and Con's
Author: Angela Heidt
Most of us would love to stay at home and take care of our kids, but doing so requires some careful considerations. Besides the obvious financial factors, there are many other things to think about, and you should take the time to do this, or you or your spouse my find yourselves resenting the choice down the road.
Pros of Staying Home with Your Children
- You get more time with your kids - you can watch them develop into little human beings, instead of catching glimpses here and there.
- You get to teach them - instead of relying on daycare to teach them the basics: potty training, sharing, manners, and the building blocks of language - you have full control.
- You get to interact with other parents. Sometimes the best way to get over a parenting challenge is to see how other parents are doing it, and you'll find that there is a whole community of stay at home moms and dads out there.
- You know where your kids are. At any time of any day you will know exactly where they are, instead of wondering while at work.
Cons of Staying Home with Your Children
- You find it hard to make ends meet - cutting out an entire salary can be too much for some families to bear, even without having to pay for daycare.
- You can't get time to yourself - there's no lunch or coffee break when you are a stay at home parent, and by the end of the day you can get pretty worn out.
- You feel like you do 'everything' - from taking care of the kids to laundry, meals and grocery shopping, which can create tension and resentment between you and your spouse.
- You miss your job - some of us have jobs that are very rewarding, and fill a niche for us that we can't get at home.
Consider each of these pros and cons and have an action plan for how you and your spouse will handle each of them should they arise. A part time job could help you with cons #1 and #4, while a well-balanced schedule of chores and down time may alleviate the frustration of the other two. Additionally, there's no rule that you have to stay home forever, so commit yourself to a year and then go from there. Even if you choose to go back after that year you have still given your child a great head start in life.
