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I looked at my husband with tears in my eyes,
“I can’t do this anymore, we can’t do this anymore”.
He shook his head in agreement, “I know, but what can we do? We can’t afford for you to stay home”.
“I know, but we need to find a way, if we keep going like this we won’t make it, especially with a new baby, I really feel like God is calling me to stay home”.
My eyes pleaded with home to just give it a chance.
Thankfully, he did. That was over 8 years ago and I have been home ever since. For us, it has been a different dynamic then other households where the mom is home. I have always in some way, contributed to our family income. First as an in home child care provider, and now as a freelancer. I have worked out of both necessity and out of a desire to get out of debt.
However, even though I have worked, my family and our home has always been number one. I truly believe the value of a stay at home mom comes with an immeasurable price tag. Because of this value, we have made many sacrifices to make sure I have been able to work, while being home with my family. I feel that a work at home mom benefits her family in many ways, but for me there are four that stand out.
INCOME
This is a no brainer really. Most work at home moms work because there is an income need. However, sometimes there isn’t really a need for the income, but it helps. This has been the case for us many times. What started out as a need, has turned into just enjoying the extra income. It allows us to spend money on holidays, birthdays, vacations and the occasional family night out. It also has allowed us to plow away a good portion of our debt, and has helped when my husband has had a lay off, or an unexpected medical expense has arisen.
A work at home mom benefits her family by providing an income that can help with the family finances, or offer a little bit of extra “cushion” for a rainy day.
TIME
Working from home has allowed me time with my kids that I could never get back. I realized this when my youngest was born. With my oldest I worked outside the home when she was an infant and I had no clue how much of her life I missed until my middle was born and I was actually home with her every day. It has also allowed me time to go with them on field trips, educate them at home, and be involved in their day to day lives. Now, many moms are able to do this while working outside of the home. But, for me I always felt like my family or my job were getting the short end of the stick.
A work at home mom benefits her family by having time to spend with the kids each day and to take care of all the things on the home front that needs done. Time with our kids is something you can never get back, and working from home allows you to be there , while earning an income.
PERSEVERANCE
My kids see me work every day, and they know how hard I work to balance my time effectively. They have seen me persevere and reach goals, they have cheered with me when I sold my first eBook, and have listened to me read articles, and blog posts. They also helped me hang business signs and read books to the babies when I ran my in home daycare. My businesses have really been family businesses that they have believed in with me.
A work at home mom benefits her family by demonstrating perseverance each day, and by rallying her family behind her each step of the way.
STABILITY
The biggest benefit I think to being able to work from home has been stability. Not in the sense of job security, because even when you work from home there is always a chance of NOT having work, but in the sense that I have provided my children with stability from day one.
They know who is going to be here in the morning when they get up and who is going to put them to bed each night. They know that if they are sick, it is going to be me taking care of them.
My husband knows that if he gets stuck at work, his kids are safe and at home with their mother. This has also allowed him to take jobs that may not have otherwise worked out if we were both working outside the home.
A work at home mom benefits her family by providing them with the stability of an income AND the benefit of having someone at home each day with the kids.
Working from home has been a win/win situation for our family. Has there been challenges? Of course, but life will always have those. The important thing is to remember why you are doing it, and what benefits your family will see from it. And for us, those benefits have outweighed the challenges tenfold.
Do you work from home? What benefits have you noticed?
Want more information about working at home? Check out my book!
One of the few things that my husband and I both knew before we had kids was that I wanted to be home with them, no questions asked. It hasn’t always been easy.Sometimes I worked outside the home part-time and others I tried to work from home. Being home led us to homeschooling, which led to me teaching others children in co-ops, to tutoring, to writing a history curriculum and now receiving the blessing of royalties from the sale of a book. Even though I don’t feel like I have added to the income and we are still often living paycheck to paycheck,I am glad to be home… thrilled to lead and learn with my kids, and thankful for the blessings that we have been given through this sacrifice and decision to stay home.
Blessings,
Dawn
Thank you Jennifer! And, I totally consider blogging a job. People don’t realize how much work is involved there!
What a wonderful post Misty.
While I don’t officially “work” from home, I do consider my blog my part-time job, as I do draw a small income from it. I love the points you’ve raised here… and there are so many benefits that a work-at-home-mom can benefit and contribute to her family. I specifically like your point of time – time that we never get back – that we can dedicate to our children. That is precious and worth soooo much!
Thank you for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop).
Wishing you a lovely week.
xoxo
Congratulations!! I feel that if God has laid staying home on your heart, He will provide the extra income needed to make that a reality. When I quit teaching to pursue in home daycare we were operating on a negative budget (on paper) yet God provide every step of the way. The same thing happened when I closed my daycare and jumped into freelancing.
It is awesome to see God move and provide, but in the moment it is also nerve wracking. I don’t know why why we (I) question God when He says move. He is always faithful, even when we doubt 😉
Good luck!! And prayers for a healthy delivery and in your work at home efforts. Keep us updated!!
Thanks for sharing! It is reassuring. We are pregnant with our first, and even before we were I always had the thought in the back of my mind that I wanted to stay home with our kids when they are young so that I don’t miss anything, and so we don’t have to pay daycare costs. We are out of debt, but we live on a limited income. My husband has been so supportive and encouraging of me pursuing blogging and some other online work during the pregnancy as we make this transition, even though it is barely bringing in any money currently. It is much more fulfilling work to me, and most importantly, it helps me keep my priorities straight, with God and family at the top. Plus, I have the flexibility to support my husband in his ministry. 🙂
Yes! Me too! I actually made better money running a daycare then I did teaching preschool. I’m glad we made the plunge 🙂
Great article! I’m a work at home mom and I LOVE it. It’s absolutely perfect for our family, and honestly, I make more working from home than I would if I had gone back to work. Thankfully, we started out with me being home, we didn’t have to transition from my working to being at home, so that made it easier mentally. We don’t have many nice things or vacations, but who cares? I love being home.
Jaime you made my day!! I hope your wife stops by and reads this post! What a blessing :). I think that often times moms do feel undervalued and unappreciated. Whether a mom works from home for an income, or does what you just shared (helping with your blog, caring for the children, making toys) her value is immeasurable. I am so glad that you were able to make your wife’s wishes come true! And the hard times make you appreciate the better times even more 🙂
Thanks again for stopping by!!
Misty, not only did I enjoy this post–I can relate to it.
Now I can honestly say that Kathilynn doesn’t work from home, but most assuredly DOES…if that makes sense? It’s your stability comment…and I think you’ve found a beautiful balance here. Let me explain.
Right before Kathi and I got married (2 hours), she pulled me aside to talk. I was terrified she was backing out!
No. Far from it. She wanted to share 2 specific heartfelt desires to me and wanted me to hear them before I was ‘bound’ (silly girl). They were:
#1) She wanted to have 12 children. Hey, I was the oldest of 10, so not too big of a stretch. As of Nov. 3 2014, we have 12 children (YAY!!)…and she is SOOO happy =)
#2) She wanted to work until the 1st child was born, then wanted MY WORD, that she would never have to work again. Ever. She wanted to be a stay at home mom.
Now, this doesn’t make light of your article–I think it strengthens your position–because we have had some seriously hard struggles, and I’ve had meltdowns trying to keep my word. We have been homeless, TWICE. We have gone from making six figures to being on food stamps…and the roller coaster ride have never stopped.
Here’s my point….
Never. I repeat NEVVVVER underestimate the value you ladies have on your family–BOTH to your children and to those men who LOVE and ADORE you!!! EVER!
I’d like to point out that Kathi might not have an official ‘job’…but she assists me in editing, writing, marketing—she has amazing skills in sewing, candy making and eve TOY making–which provided 90% of our Christmas funds last year! (See, there’s that cushion you talked about…)
But you know what makes all that pale in comparison?
When my darling wife, after I’ve been beaten, hounded, wounded, worn out, lost hope or been crushed by disappointing situations or circumstances beyond my control…can express her utmost confidence in me and breathe new life, vigor, strength and power into my soul. She helps clear the cobwebs from my eyes and lets me see what i’m fighting for, in a way that only a wife and mother can.
That, my dear Misty, is what makes a women more amazing and divine (to me) than anything else.
It cannot be taken. It cannot be demanded.
It can only be gifted.
…and just because of that, I will beat the paths and kill the snakes and hold up my shield, so the soft, bare feet my angels can walk without fear and without harm for as long as I have strength.
I apologize for rambling. My wife and 8 daughters are very dear to me and you hit a deep chord with me (a good one).
God bless you and yours, Misty.
There’s no doubt I’ll be back–I like this blog.
It has serious worth.
-Jaime Buckley
You are welcome!! It was a HUGE fear for us, but God has blessed us every step of the way.
You are living my dream… and I applaud you for it. I know (first hand) that taking the initial jump from working outside of the home to staying at home (working or not) is HUGE – and SCARY… we are RIGHT THERE – considering the jump – and I can’t wait! Thank you for writing this – I may just share it with my husband!