About Me

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I have three fabulous children and a terrific husband. I was recently laid off and have decided to try the stay-at-home gig. We'll see how it goes!

Friday, February 24, 2012

Pros and Cons

This is a condensced list of some of the things we discussed in determining whether I would stay at home or not.  There are plenty more, these are just the ones that stuck out.

Pros to being a Stay-at-home mom:

1 - More sleep!  We won't have to wake the children as early, so I can get to work on time.  The kids get more sleep and are then less cranky... maybe.

2 - More 'time'!  I can pick our oldest up from school and get her homework done BEFORE 5PM, so we have more time to play with our kids.

3 - Less illness!  Not being in daycare may keep our son from getting sick as often and hopefully keep the baby from getting sick... at least for a while.

4 - Less stress for me!  I am under no illusions that being a SAHM is easy, however, just knowing I'm getting close to my last day of work has already helped me to relax and feel less rushed.  This in turn, has had a positive effect on my kid's attitudes.  My husband also travels a lot, so being home would put less stress on me and kids when he's out of town.

5 - No more commuting!  We'll save money on gas!  I won't get stuck in traffic jams!  No more dealing with less than perfect drivers!

6 - Open toed shoes!  The job I've had for the last 6 years has not allowed me to wear open toed shoes.  No cute sandals or peep toes; just comfortable, reliable shoes.  Now I can wear any shoe I want, when I want!!!  I can even go barefoot.

7 - No marathon cleaning!  Since I'll be at home I can get parts of the house cleaned everyday and won't have to spend several hours every Saturday trying to get the house to a respectable state.


Cons to being a Stay-at-home mom:

1 - Loss of money.  While my paycheck was not huge, it was helpful.

2 - Lack of mental stimulation.  I'm sure I will have plenty to do as a SAHM and I LOVE my kids.  Our concern is that I'm used to designing complex experiments while helping several others troubleshoot theirs.  I am used to getting 12 hours worth of work done in 8.  Adjusting to a  less hectic pace could be difficult.

3 - Husband working too much.  It's possible that my husband may inadvertently become less involved with the family.  He may feel less guilt working late because I'm home to take care of the children.

4 - Booty expansion.  I am currently 7 months pregnant so the desire to sit in my perfect ugly blue recliner could over come me and I will just eat and watch Sprout with my son.  I put on enough weight when I'm pregnant (60-80 lbs), so the last thing I need is less activity.

5 - I am the teacher.  Yikes!  This could go either way.  Staying at home means I will be responsible for teaching our children shapes, colors, numbers, ABCs, etc.  I've always relied on others to do that and I have NO idea how I'm going to be able to do it.  I'm not exactly known for my patience.

For us, the pros far outweigh the cons.  We'll have to see how things work out.  Only time will tell.

2 comments:

Becky said...

In the loss of money category, factor in the cost of daycare, the cost of the clothing/shoes you wear to work, the cost of your gasoline for the commute to and from work, the cost of any lunches you eat out at work during the pay-period. You may find that the money you lose is negligible. With that, factor in fewer dr bills for illness.

All of the teaching you are dreading doing, you will get that in just by playing with your children it doesn't have to be a formal sit-down type instruction. Your children will learn far more important things and you will be blessed through this time.

Blessings,
Becky Guinn (your Washington friend from Hardrock, AZ)

Unknown said...

Our way is unplanned and our path is unknown. Yet our journey is made whole when we travel as one. see the link below for more info.


#unplanned
www.ufgop.org