The Biggest Decision a Mom Makes

I am currently at a cross roads of making one of the biggest decisions I will probably ever make as a mom. I could really use my readers suggestions, thoughts, personal advice/experience. Now that my little guy is a little more independent and my husband and I have said that we don’t want such a big age gap between our kids, we know that we will be trying for another in the near future. With that comes so many questions and challenges. At this point we are spending about a quarter of my income on daycare which is great in comparison to some, however, another baby will double that cost and that means half of my income will be gone before I even see it. See how I did that there? I got this math thing down. haha

Having a full-time hourly job means I know I will get a paycheck every two weeks but it also means a lot of time away from my kids. I could definitely argue that being able to provide extravagantly for our children is a big deal but I know that time spent with them, and being able to mold their minds to Christ instead of this world is so much more important than anything money can buy. I have also had the thought “could I really be a stay at home mom? I mean really?”. I get frustrated and annoyed and just exhausted when Ayden doesn’t want to listen to me or gives me that “I don’t care what you say” look.

Trying to make this decision means I would really have to weigh the pros and cons and take a close look at our finances to see if we could make the stretch. For one, if I stayed home, Ayden wouldn’t be sick all the time, like he has been for the past few months. Two, I would be able to spend the time with him that I don’t get now since most of my week is spent at work. Three, I wouldn’t be working to pay someone else, I would be working for myself, well, my kids. Four, to make some extra income, I could try direct sales, selling some of my furniture that I refinish or even focus on blogging. There’s also the option of watching a couple other kids but we’ll see. Five, did I mention no more work drama? Can’t say I would miss that.

As far as why I shouldn’t stay home, do I have the temperament to be with my kids all day everyday? After quitting my job, I would assume the role of not only childcare but taking care of the household… all the cleaning. Would I have the energy if I spent all day chasing babies? Well, if we can make the budget work, it seems like my patience is the only concern. It’s a dumb one at that because even though sometimes I get annoyed I wouldn’t change my baby for anything and would would do anything for him.

Alright readers, what questions did I miss? Anything I haven’t thought through? Anyone a stay at home mom and love it/don’t love it? Honesty is appreciated.