Diana,
some of us just don't have it in us!!! I am honest and forthcoming about the fact that i do not have the skills, patience, capabailities to be a stay at home mother. I become easily frustrated and then am not as loving, patient and kind as i should be. For me, it is better that my daughters are in childcare (one is in school fulltime- the other in daycare half a day and school the other half). When i come home from work (which is before they get home from school MOSt days) i am excited to see them and am much more focused on them and their needs. From the time we all arrive home until the kids bed time i focus totally on them and their needs. I am lucky that i have a career which allows me this kind of schedule!
I realize that some people think that if you don't have the kind of skills you need to stay home full time with your children than you shouldn't have them. In nice terms i say this is hogwash!!! My children are well loved, well taken care of, extremely bright, happy and well adjusted! I am a great dedicated mom who works extraordinarily hard to ensure that we have a secure future.
Being a stay at home mom is a scary business in this day and age---not only do you have to do far more labour that is unpaid and underprivilleged in terms of economic rewards, you could potentially end up in a very bad economic situation. There is an extraordinarily high divorce rate, a good portion of these divorces occur when the children reach ages where they can care for themselves. Women are left with no employable skills as they have been home with their kids for 20 years and no tie the the economy other than alimony payments which they genereally have to spend a lot of money fighting for in the courts and don't always get. I have seen it happen numerous times and have done a lot of research which shows that stay at hom moms most often end up in poverty after the dissolution of a marraige. Women who feel secure and happy in their marraiges such as you may have an easier transition into SAHmothering however......
