Stay at Home Mom vs Working Mother

I have been both a stay-at-home mom and a working mom. I've worked with just 1 child, I've worked since having 5 children. I've worked from home, been just a mom, and worked outside of my home. Sometimes it's necessary to have two incomes and for some mom's, as was my case in the early years of motherhood, yours is the only income.

After doing all things, the one thing I know for sure is that it is far more beneficial to be a stay-at-home mom than to be a working mom. Now I know what some of you women are saying right now, possibiy outloud even. "I'm not cut out to be a stay-at-home mom. I need my own space, time for myself. I need to define myself outside of my family." I get that. I was one of those types of women in the past as well. But keep reading and let me state my case to you.

First of all, it's a fact that children who have a mom who doesn't work outside of the home are less likely to drink, abuse drugs, and join gangs. They are also less likely to be promiscuous. Don't be offended by the facts and yes, I know that there are exceptions to every rule. But I testify that these things are true, indeed. I have seen a difference in my own children. And it took me far too long for my eyes to be open and my selfishness to subside and for me to realize how much more important raising a family was than getting accolades from co-workers and bosses and having a bigger house, fancier car, and nicer wardrobe.

It's also rarely cost effective for many moms to work, even though we rarely bother to do the simple math to prove it. Day care is around $800 per month in the state I live in for a child in care all day. Combine that with money spent commuting to and from work (including wear and tear on your car, not just gasoline), parking, money spent eating meals out because you're just too tired to cook most nights, keeping your wardrobe updated, and the overall cost to your health from burning the candle at both ends trying to balance work and family.

I state my case because I went from being a full-time working mom, to a part-time working mom, to a stay at home mom, to an entrepeneurial mom, back to a full-time working mom and now I'm finding that no matter what the financial reprecussions may be, I am going back to being home with my children.

My heart no longer yearns for that corporate life that I once wanted so fiercely. But rather, all day at work all I can think about is that I wasn't there for my 11 year old's Valentine party. And I miss helping the kids read in my 8 year old's class. I want to teach my 2 year old to potty-train and be there for every new discovery that he makes.

And overall I've found that there is no success at work that can make up for failure in the home.