How Being a Stay-at-home Mom Benefits Our Whole Family
Our children do benefit from this. We rarely have to deal with illness because I can keep them out of the winter germ-pools. If they do get a cold or the flu, I don't have to scramble to find care or ask for a day off-I'm already there. We have our busy days, but we also have days where I spend my time doing things just for them, with them. We can go to the park at a moment's notice and enjoy a good romp. I have the time to sit down with them and read a book on a whim, to play with magnetic letters, to give them paper and taech them their letters, and to sit down for a bowl of popcorn and some hot chocolate on a cold winter morning.
There is no morning rush to get everyone out the door and there are no chaotic evenings where we're not sure who's going to cook supper or what there is to eat. While the world around us is going a million miles an hour, our children's world is a calm, stable haven of peace.
If my being at home only benefitted our children, I would still do it. However, I've been happy to find out that there is a myriad of benefits to our whole family, simply by my being a full-time at-home mom. The biggest benefit is financial. In many small ways, my being at home enables us to live on less (which is good because my being at home means we have less income!). Because I am at home, I have the time to put together detailed menus and shopping lists which keep our grocery bill to a minimum. I'm able to keep track of our finances in detail month-to-month, and I have the time to actually sit down and list exactly what I need when I do have to go shopping.
Not being confined to a few hours here and there for shopping, I also have the time to go to several different stores to take advantage of deals, and to pay attention to details like price per unit on items I want to purchase. We need not eat out or order in because of lack of time, or pull in to a drive-through on our way to somewhere else in our busy schedule. That alone saves us hundreds of dollars a month (if you eat out more than once a week, tally up your reciepts and prepare for a shock!). I am also able to work on projects that ultimately save us money, like making my own simple lined curtains for a drafty room, rather than purchasing them at 10 times the cost of the fabric I bought for that project.
Another benefit to us as a family is that being at home means I have the time and energy to create a home around us that is comfortable and welcoming, for us and for guests. My little boys are learning to help me clean, and unless I'm really out of sorts, our house is tidy; floors swept, dishes done, and clutter put away. This is easy to do because I am able to work on it a little every day, rather than waiting for clutter and grime to pile up to overwhelming proportions. This is very important because my personality does not permit me to be comfortable and happy if my home is messy, the beds are unmade, and there are toys and clothes all over the floor.
Being at home and having the time to clean is a huge benefit to me personally. Having grown up in cultures where eating together is very important, my being at home means that I can prepare healthy, delicious meals and set our table every night for good family together time. I can offer my tired husband a drink when he walks in the door and a peaceful atmosphere in which to unwind and relax. We are able to spend close to an hour enjoying our evening meal together, and we relish that time, looking forward to it every day.There may be some women who have the ability to remain organized, calm, and at peace even with a busy lifestyle and career, but I am not one of them.
Were I to work outside the home even part time, all of the things I mentioned above would fall apart-I would not be able to be organized with shopping or finances, to plan our menus and come up with decent meals every night, and I would be miserable coming home every day to face an untidy house. For our family, and for me personally, the benefits of me being at home extend far beyond our children having me available at all times.
Published by Margaret Delle
I'm the American wife of an amazing Ethiopian man, and mother to three incredible little boys. I stay at home, manage the household, read lots of good books, and write whenever I have the opportunity. View profile
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12 Comments
Post a CommentI just wanted to say that I agree with everything you said below. I was a stay-at-home mom for several years and then decided to try something different for a year. Our living expenses went up dramatically in that time: childcare, food budget, etc. And our trying to work with 2 work schedules made life chaotic for all of us. Also, after focusing so much on my professional work all day, I didn't have as much energy and focus to give my kids as I would have liked. I think some women can handle home and work well, but I was not one of them. And the peace that is offered at home now is really worth our giving up an extra paycheck. Great article!
i am sorry to hear madam sahadatu situation,here is my email:vopac_village@yahoo.com i will support u with some little amount,but u need to email me first and tell me ur Name and address?I think i can only help with some little amount,maybe someone out there might also contribute something for u to send ur children to school...Good Luck
Hello everyone out there!I am a mother,i have 2 children.My husband died in a car accident 5 years,so my children were droped out of school due to financial problems.I am a trader,i sell in a small market in my comunity,but i dont make enough money to take care of my children.I am a christian of roman catholic church,and i will be grateful if anyone out there could help me and my children in financially...here is my email: nmah_rabi@yahoo.com
God bless you
My in-laws and my husband's friends don't see the benefits of me staying home, they always are asking if I've found a job "yet". I tell my husband to tell them I already have a job, thank you very much!
My family is totally supportive. My mom most of all. She is huge on breastfeeding (something that would be tougher if I had an outside job) and not putting children in daycare.
I have found a wonderful group of women who are all stay at home mommies with children around my children's ages. It's great we can all get together during the week (and some weekends for family bbq's and MNO's!).
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My immediate family has always been super supportive, and I am blessed in that.
But I have certainly run into aquaintances and even friends who made it clear they see my staying home as worthless and a waste of my life. I say: To heck with them! ;)
Thank for writing be back and thanx for your support. I don't really have that much support (except for my husband) when it has to do with being a stay at home mom. I am surrounded by the today modern women who thank its crazy to stay at home and think I should just suck it up and put my daughter in day care her entire childhood. Did you have support when you decided to be a SAHM or did you get a lot of people in your ear thanking they know what's good for you and putting down everything you believe in?
I should add, it's now two years since I wrote that article and I have yet another baby, and life is crazier (three boys, aaaaaahhhh!), but I'm still dedicated and contented to stay at home.
Maria, thank you for your sweet comment. I'd forgotten I'd even written this one!!
God bless you and I hope you soon have the ability to stay at home with your little one.
I never have wanted to go back to work. Of course, we have our crazy days, nutty days, rotten days. Even days when I want to tear my hair out in frustration. But I had those at work, too. ;) Most of the time it's very clear that being home is a wonderful thing, for the kids, for me, and for my husband.