Should you be a stay-at-home Mom (or Dad)
Here is my big fat opinion about staying home with your children. If you WANT to stay home with your children… and your spouse/partner is okay with it.. do it! Here is the REST of my big fat opinion. If you cannot afford to have one parent stay home… or choose not to, that is okay too. And it is okay to do any combination that works for your family.
Try hard to accept that you are doing the best you can – and don’t read blog articles or books that make you feel guilty. Feeling guilty does not help you OR your family.
If you stay home, remember that this is a blessing. And it is can be a very hard thing to do.
If and when you do go back to work, your earning potential will be much lower than it would have been if you had not stayed home. There is a good chance you will never catch up in money or your position in a company if you take time off. And, this is very important, try to accept families who do not have an at-home parent.
If you do not have an at-home parent, accept what you are doing. It is okay.
Try not to read the latest study or blog article that tries to make you, a hard-working, sincere parent, feel guilty. Try to accept families who do have a stay-at-home parent.
For some reason, especially now, many journalists…. and TV/Radio hosts…. seem to have the goal of getting their audience frightened and upset. The other thing they do more is try to get you to LOATHE anyone who disagrees with them. Do NOT let these people suck you in. There really are good people who think differently…. or do things differently…
Many in the media WANT you to feel angry or frightened… it is good for business
We all do the best we can when raising children. And no matter how you do it, someone is going to disagree with your decision.
Furthermore, as someone who has spent a lot of time doing research in a medical library, no matter what you do, there is a study that will telling you that you are doing the right thing, the BEST thing! And there will also be a study telling you that you are doing the WRONG thing!
And the news will only tell you about the latest study. As parents, let’s encourage and accept each other’s choices.