Thursday, October 6, 2011

Make it work - no, not a Tim Gunn post

I've been collecting my thoughts about a couple recent conversations I have had with some other moms concerning the issue of working vs. staying home.  Since I have been on both sides of the fence, I don't really have a strong opinion nor do I feel one is better than the other.  

The one comment that routinely pops up when I explain I'm a stay at home mom is, "Oh, I wish I could stay home, but I HAVE to work." 



Our decision for me to stay home was not something we just sporadically decided.  It was a HUGE decision and took lots of analyzing and weighing the pros and cons to come to the final decision.  I have been at home now for a year and 9 months, but who is counting?  Our income dropped tremendously, and to many would be laughable (seriously).  To put it into perspective we technically could qualify for WIC.  With that said, we make it work.  We I budget and plan.  Our kids are still spoiled rotten and do not go without.  Yes, I could go back to work, take Addy out of her free pre-k program, put all three in daycare, pay out the arse, and bring home some extra money.  Money that we don't necessarily NEED, but simply WANT. 




What I have learned most about these current topics of conversations is simple:  What works for one, doesn't work for another.  At the end of the day, we are all just trying to make our lives work. 
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4 comments:

  1. DanifredOctober 6, 2011 at 8:54 PM

    You are so right. I don't know where we stand on the need/ want as far as finances go and me staying home, but what we have going on now just works. I can't imagine doing anything different or judging anyone who works full time or stays home full time.

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  2. ShelliOctober 7, 2011 at 1:49 PM

    Oh, you are so right. I went from work at home 24 hours a day, to work outside of the home 7 hours a day, and I'm still perplexed as to what really "works" for me. I am starting to realize that I have the better income-earning potential, so if one of us didn't work, it would have to be my hubby (just to cover true living expenses).

    I do believe that the choice is so individual, and it makes me cringe when someone steps up on their soapbox to declare one is better than the other.

    I am just looking for happiness for my family, however we make it work.

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  3. RebeccaOctober 9, 2011 at 5:43 AM

    Well said...plus, some people actually like what they do for a living and that outweighs the costs of putting kids in day care, etc. We make it work by me tutoring at night...it works for us right now. That won't work when the Crazies are in kindergarten b/c our needs will change. We made decisions long before these kids were in our lives so that we were able to do this. Some people don't think that far ahead or don't want to sacrifice...and some people really can't.

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  4. RebeccaOctober 9, 2011 at 5:43 AM

    Wow...did that make ANY sense?

    ReplyDelete

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