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Work, Stay At Home, Work At Home?

It's all mamas' dilemma - should I work or should I stay/work at home?

I know this is not quite an option for most mamas. But for many dual income families, I think this is possible for either papa or mama to stay home. And in most cases, it's mama that stays home.

And I know this is not an easy decision for any working mama to make.

I'd chosen to become a stay-at-home mom (or rather work-at-home mom) after having spent 11½ years working as a software developer with an IT company.

The reason I chose to stay home is rather simple... that is to spend more quality time with my 2 very demanding kids. However, it did take me several months to come to this decision. And I think it's a wise one.

Why from working mom to stay/work-at-home mom?

Ever since Adriel had started preschool, I'd been late for 15 to 30 minutes to work (almost daily for about a year). My boss had been nice to me as long as I worked the extra hours after 6pm to cover the hours lost in the morning.

But this meant that I would have less time at home at night to be with the children. And again...late nights, rush mornings, late to work, late to back home...it went on and on.

When they were young, my kids had been raised by their grandparents since they were born while I worked full-time. I was truly grateful for having my in-laws to help looking after the kids.

While this is much much better than getting a maid or sending them to day care, I sensed that there's still something not quite right.

For one thing, the kids were more attached to their grandmother than me. Second, there's no discipline while dear hubby and I were not at home. Third, no-one could guide Adriel in his school work.

Another motivator was the following remarks by Jeriel:

"Mommy, I feel very happy if I can see you in the morning when I wake up". It broke my heart.

With Adriel attending primary school and Jeriel getting more and more active (and my parents-in-law were getting older), the question of whether to stay home to spend more quality time with the kids or to work for extra income had been with me all the time.

And if you are a working mama with young kids at home, don't you have such predicament as well?

After having much thought and many nights discussing with dear hubby, we decided that I stay home to look after the kids.

Benefits Of Staying At Home
The benefits of staying at home be a stay-at-home mom are rewarding. You can spend more quality time with the kids and do a lot of activities with them together. Besides, you'll also be able to really watch them grow...the way you want them to be.

Working At Home
It's good to stay home to be with our loved ones. But instead of just staying at home, why not work at home? Working at home enables us to maintain our "family first" principle and at the same time to earn some extra income. I for one, am a work-at-home mama!

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In Conclusion

Before we could make up our mind what we truly wanna be, there're always pros and cons we need to consider in either decision.

Financial wise, sit down and ask yourself how much you're truly making by continuing to work, and how you can cut back in order to stay home. Parenting wise, I concluded that there's no question asked. Staying home is definitely the best decision for our kids! If you can work at home, it's even the best of all!

Whatever decision you would make, be a happy and loving mama who would raise your kids in a positive manner...that your kids are spirited, happy, healthy, confident and are proud of their mamas.