4 Things to Help Stay-at-Home Moms Decide Whether to Return to Work

After years of staying at home with infants, toddlers and preschoolers, the day finally comes when all the kids are in school and stay-at-home moms find themselves with a quiet house. It's almost inevitable at that point that stay-at-home mothers will begin to wonder if they should go back to work. Whether it's a question raised between spouses, or if it's something that just mom is considering, it's a big decision.

Money will be the biggest factor of the decision to go back to work. Most likely, if you've stayed home for many years and have been living on one income, you can probably continue to do so. You've probably learned to manage your budget and know your spending limits. However, if you have a large amount of debt to pay, or if the one income is uncomfortably tight, or if you're hoping to substantially increase your savings, returning to work is probably a good idea. But there are still several things that you need to keep in mind:

Housework and children are ever-present. Just because all the kids are in school for eight hours a day does not mean that you have eight hours of spare time. When you stayed at home with your kids, you spent a fair amount of your time cleaning, cooking, running errands, and chauffeuring kids to activities. You'll still be doing the housework when your kids are gone, you'll still be cooking the meals, and you'll still have to run kids to practices and school.

The stress level of working moms can be difficult. If you're suddenly working full-time and trying to keep a household and family in order, you may find you have too much on your plate. Some moms manage well with work and family; others find it draining. Think about your life as a stay-at-home mom. If you were the type of mom who volunteered ten hours at the local Red Cross, was president of the local MOPS group, took your kids to fun places every day, and still found time to prepare healthy meals, returning to work will probably not be much of an adjustment. If, on the other hand, you were the type of mom who mostly stayed at home every day, with just a couple outings a week, going back to work will be hard.

You may have to put your children in some type of daycare. If you return to work full-time, school hours are not always going to cover all the hours you'll be working. You may need to find a before- or after-school care program for your children. That means that while you are working 9-5, your kids will need care from 8:30-5:30. Having stayed at home for so many years just to put the kids in daycare now might not be what you want.

Consider All Income-Earning Possibilities. If you really feel a sincere need for the extra income, but dread going back to a full-time job, take some time to seriously consider all the possibilities. Now that you have an empty house for part of the day, it may be a good time to research work-at-home options. There are several legitimate earning possibilities out there for moms who want to work at home. Check at your local library for a good book on working at home, and research your options.

Also consider part-time work. Working twenty hours a week will be a decent supplement to your income, but should not be so much as to overstress you.

Be sure to find something you enjoy. Going back to work after being a stay-at-home mom can be hard enough; but going back to a job you hate can easily demoralize your entire family. Don't be in too much of a rush to find a job. Take some online classes or attend a local college if you need to brush up on skills. Research job possibilities in your field.

Most importantly, if you decide not to go back to work, don't feel guilty. You stayed at home for so many years because you felt it was the best thing for your family. You deserve a bit of peace and quiet, and you'll still have plenty to keep you busy, even with a quiet house.