A question for you.

[AgentM]

Would you give up your job and become a stay at home mum?


Now, at first read, this seems like a no brainer! But it has totally thrown me!!

Last week, hubby asked if I would give up work, given half the chance. Of course my answer was yes, in a flash. Well, we all say that don't we?

Anyway this evening, he drops the bombshell. He has been looking at another job, with considerably more money, but would be quite a drive away. Our childminder is right by where he works now, doing flexitime, so it all fits in perfectly. I do shifts and can start at silly o'clock in the morning sometimes. So we rely on him to do the drop offs and pick ups at these times. Obviously, this is a no go if he gets this new job. I don't trust anyone else with Oliver (she was already a friend before becoming his childminder).

Now, this job would be a massive step forward for his career and our future. I have worked long and hard at mine (I am a bit older than him) and have got as far as I want to get. In fact, I have just dropped my management role, in order to spend more time with Oliver. This new job would still allow us to live very comfortably, even without my income, so the money thing doesn't really come into it.

I have often thought I'd give up given half the chance, but this has totally thrown me!!! It is a huge step after working for sixteen years to get where I am now. I can pick it back up again when Oliver is older, if I wanted to. Or I can still do the odd shift, on my terms, just to keep my hand in.


OOOOOOOOHHHHH MYYYYYYYYY GODDDDDDD!!!!!!!! I have never been thrown so much in my life! Obviously, I've told him I'd have to seriously consider things before I made a decision, but my head is mush already!

Have any of you given up a career you have worked hard for? I'm not asking for answers, just thoughts really.

 

[Terrie]

id quite happily be a full time mum if my OHs parents business didnt rely on me to do so much... we dont need the money. in sept when rhys starts school i will be dropping down to 2 days a week

 

[AgentM]

id quite happily be a full time mum if my OHs parents business didnt rely on me to do so much... we dont need the money. in sept when rhys starts school i will be dropping down to 2 days a week

I bet you can't wait! I've just dropped to 3 days a week, which I had sort of got my head round. It seemd like a good mixture for both of us. Now I haven't got a clue!!!

 

[Mervs Mum]

Yes I would and in fact yes I have! I wont be going back to work after my maternity leave finishes. I'll be at home until they start school. Things will be tighter here but I'm lucky that OH earns a great salary and we have relatively low out goings and dont owe anything except the mortgage. We wont be going on many foreign holidays for a few years but that's cool. We just bought a new car which will have to last us till I go back to work and we have learned to budget where before we never paid any attention to what we spent.

I've spent the last few years getting to the point I had at work but I can go back to it. In fact I'm thinking about re training so I'll technically be a student come September!

I was lucky to have 2 and a half years off with my eldest and I loved that time with her. I know it's not for everyone but I'm really looking forward to it and I'll make sure I have some things to keep my brain ticking over too.

 

[Toonlass]

i find being a SAHM a lonely life to be honest. I like going to work, in fact its easier than staying at home, it means i am something more than just a mam, i have another purpose iykwim. I am going part time when i go back in january, probably 3 days a week. The reason i am dropping my hours is because i cant afford child care if i go back full time and the second reason is that i want to spend time with my children.

If you can comfortably afford to stay at home and that is what you want to do then go for it! xx

 

[Me, My Girls & I]

i couldnt do it, i was going crazy by the time my mat leave was up last time!! someone did ask me recently why i didnt just become a SAHM, cos i financially wouldnt end up much worse off. but the thought of being stuck with 2 kids under 2 6 days a week all on my own...i'd far rather sit on a checkout in tescos for a few hours

 

[FebMum2Be]

My mum was a SAHM and she was there on call if she was ever needed.. Standing with a towel if I had got soaked coming home from school, able to come and get me if I was poorly.. Little things really stick with me.. And I do believe that my mum being a SAHM is the reason we are as close as we are.. I love working, I miss it so much, but now I have Odhrán I want to be to him the way my mum was to me, I don't want to miss anything it would kill me if my son was to take his first steps or say his first words to a child minder.. At the moment, I'm saying I will go back to work when Odhrán is in nursery or started school, OH has a well paid job and I am lucky that I have the choice to be a SAHM or a working mum

 

[lanny]

I am also a stay at home mum i worked 16hours after my first child cos it could fit around my o/h shifts at work but when i went on maternity leave with my 2nd i didnt go back as o/h shifts changed and i didnt want to send them to a child minder. I think im alot like Febmum2be my own mum stayed at home picked us up took us to school every day did matter if we were ill as she was at home anyways, came on all our school trips and i think this stuck with me and i think this stuck with me and i wanted to do the same. I not saying at times yo dont get a little bored and i do go to lots of playgroups and meet up with friends to fill my day. I started a cake dec class a few wks ago on a one morning a wk i only made it to 5 class out ofthe 10 as the kids where poorly or teachers training day at school so i dunno how im eva gunna work if i cant even make one morning a wk lol

 

[DanDecMum]

I left work when I was six months pregnant with Dec BUT I did train as a childminder so I am at home every day but I still work.