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mom of a 13mo.old and expecting!
I have a wonderful 13mo.old daughter and an incredibly supportive husband at home, and I am also expecting my second child. I am VERY excited about it, but I am also feeling overwhelmed and scarred! Because of my job, I do not have any free time to actually enjoy being at home with my family, I am all stressed out and hate feeling this way. I have been offered a part-time position for next year-I know that I simply cannot continue living this way-, but my husband wants me to stay at home. I'd absolutely love that, but I also fear my daughter is going to miss her friends at daycare and I'd hate to not have her interact with other kids at this age. I do not know any other moms with kids her age in town. I also worry about money and the fact that my only friends are the ones I have at my work. I love being with people and I'm afraid I'll get all lonely if I stay at home, but part of me really wants to do that for my kids.
Are there any stay-at-home mommies out there who can give me an advice on this???
Comments
I worked full time raising my first daughter and it was incredibly difficult. With my second daughter (14 years later) I stayed home full time.....and it was equally hard, just in different ways. I always thought I really wanted to stay home full time, but when I was home full time I realized that I didn't have enough balance (personal time for me as an individual).
Keep in mind that your children will grow up (all too fast!) so if you plan to work then, you'll need to make plans now to keep your skills current (or change skills or job types, but the point is it's easier to do if you have a plan). It's an incredibly complex and difficult choice to make and there is no single RIGHT answer.
I found the best balance for me working from home - my family gets the financial benefits, my daughter gets the social benefits (daycare 2 days/wk), I have flexibility that I need, I still have something that keeps me connected to people (and meeting new people), and it also gives me a sense of accomplishment as well.
My best advice is to consider the short and long term circumstances and to carefully consider your personality and your family dynamic (it's okay for you to have needs!). And whatever you choose, feel good about it and enjoy it (...and if you don't, you can change it and evolve to something that does work for you and your family).
I AM A STAY AT HOME MOM AND I LOVE IT. I SEE MY CHILD GROW AND HE LOVES MOMMY TO PLAY WITH HIM. WHO BETTER TO TEACH OUR CHILDREN - THAN OURSELVES. I WILL ADMIT HOWEVER ITS BEEN 17 MONTHS AND IM GOING STIR CRAZY. MAYBE THERE IS A BALANCE U CAN WORK OUT SO U CAN STAY AT HOME SO MANY DAYS OF THE WEEK AND WORK THE OTHER DAYS. OUR KIDS GROW UP SO FAST, YOULL NEVER REGRET BEING THERE TO SEE IT. IF U LIVE MODESTO MY SON IS ONE AND A HALF, WE COULD GET THEM TOGETHER AT THE PARK. OR FIND OTHERS IN YOUR AREA.