Topic : Stay At Home Moms

I love my job/privelge of being a stay at home mom and I and my husband work together to meet the needs and even desires of our children through love, respect and honor towards one another as well as them. I believe our children will grow up to know that their parents love and care for them and strived to do the very best to help them to grow and mature into good productive and caring adults. Children are smart and they will learn to give credit where credit is due, they know who is there for them and they learn the attitudes and desires, as well as the effort from both parents. No parent can fool their children, they may be able to manipulate and play their sorry games for a while but as the child grows older and wiser, they will know the truth and they will cling to the parent who cared for them. I see this over and over again, some paretns definetly need to wise up and step up to the plate for their families or they will certainly have regrets later in life.

My 4 1/2 year old will be starting preschool on the 8th of Sept, which actually starts ont he 6th but she is going to miss because we will be traveling home from vacation. I think this vacation is more imporant to us a family as we very rarely take one and hubby is in great need of one. I don't worry about my daughter going to preschool as she will be around familiar faces and is a socialable little thing, though I will miss her those two in a half hours, 3 days a week, I am looking forward to spending a little more quality time with my youngest, 2 1/2 year old. Some one suggested that I put her in a center to give me a break, I say no way, school will come quickly enough! I chose to stay home with my children and she deserves all the attention that my oldest has received. I am thankful that God put this desire and will to be a stay at home mom in my heart. to be perfectly honest, I am putting my daughter in preschool becasue she wants to go to school and play with her friends. LOL You would think she didn't have playmates, she is ALWAYS playing with friends two days a week which doesn't count play dates , neighbor kids, and kids of friends who we see often. She entertains her self well also and has plenty of "pretend" friends too, she will definetly make every ones day, even at preschool. She is such a delightful child (though she does have her moments of course) and I am happy that I(and of course with her daddy's help) was the one to get her to where she is to day and not the system. I personally could never imagine putting my little ones in a daycare center at such a young age, I wouldn't have the heart to do it, starting them in school when they are older is bad enough, I miss my daughter just thinking about it. Homeschooling is definetly still an option for us but we will cross that line when we get there and in the meantime, I will be happy for my daughter going to preschool and at the same time I will continue to teach and enjoy my little one at home, she aint going no where LOL.

  Homeschooling cost as much as you wish to spend on it.  There are many different curriculums as well as styles of homeschooling. We follow the follow the lead of the child method..my youngest is interested in the Mission Field..so that is this years focus and the country of Africa as this is where she would like to be. She is almost 11yrs.old and this has been on her heart for over two years now. Our 16 year old is into computers and graphic design..so this is the focus.  

  They get alot of socialization..since I know this will come up, with all ages. 

 I have been a stay at home mom for over 28 years..Yes I also have an adult daughter who wasn't homeschooled. 

   

   Being able to be a stay at home mom is hard,as we live paycheck to paycheck,but the rewards are wonderful.  I have had to works sometimes,and just wasn't happy leaving my children or dh to fend for themselves, I have also go on trips with my mom(we try to do this every year)...my dh can't function if I am not here,but my children do fine,however they like me home. 

You definetly sound like a wonderful mother and wife. I have always had the desire to be home with my children. I have worked in several centers and though i have always enjoyed my jobs and all, I just could not imagine having to put my children in a center for the day and have otehrs watch them, I feel that my calling right now is to be a stay at home mom to my two little ones and thankfully I have a husband who feels teh exact same way as I do and supports in this decission, For me, it has more ups then downs and even witht he down times, I wouldn't change this choice for nothing. I think to be a good stay at home parent, one must have the love, support and respect from her family and I certainly have that and my husband and i work as a team in taking care of our girls and I do whatever I can to help bring income into the home as needed as I do odd jobs for a friend and I don't have to worry about paying out money for a sitter. Homeschooling is also something on my heart to do and as we still have a couple years before my girls are in school. I do have my oldest enrolled in a christian preschool for the fall and she will probably go oto kindergarten there and starting first grade, I really am considering the homeschooling as I think it has so many great benefits and they can definetly get the social skills that they need by going this route and to teach and to learn together I believe can be such a wonderful experience and I love the idea of my children being able to study what they are interested in, I believe learning needs to be fun and of course a littel bit of challenge doesn't huret either but I think it is very imporant for children to be able to learn at their own paces and for some that just is not possible in the system. Of course I teach my children now, here at home and I am proud of the progress that my girls are making for their young little age, My oldest is reading and already doing basic addition and she and her little sister are very socialable, not lacking anything there, that's for sure. :). Myhusband doesn't function too well when I am not home either, he survives, that'a about it. I freeze leftovers and make sure that htere are frozen dinners in the freezer for him and if the girls are with him, I make sure he knows what to do though he does very with them, He is a wonderful father, husabnd and my greatest friend and supporter. I believe God gave us our littel ones to teach and to help them to grow up into good productive adults to love and to serve Him and to me that is a great gift and honor, though not always easy but definetly rewarding.

 for the compliment. Sound like you have a plan on how to educate your daughters.be prayerful when finally deciding and please feel free to email me if you have any questions or need advise(statosian711@comcast.net)    I will be glad to answer any you have. 

   

   My dh is a very good cook and can fend for himself in that area, it is the bill paying area that he is at a loss with, seems strange cause he was fine till we got married...go figure. 

My kids are to young for schooling, but I'm not sure about the home schooling idea.  I do want to be home when they do come home from school though.  I figure it's the least I could do.  But we have a few years to worry about that yet.  Right now, I am just enjoying being home even though money is REALLY tight.  Most months we can't even pay all our bills.  But my hubby's looking for another job that pays better.  I still wouldn't have it any other way.  I didn't have kids so others could raise them.  We are responsible for our own kids, and not enough people take that responsibility seriously.   

  

Cathy 

  We also live paycheck to paycheck, and really don't know how the bills will get paid...after rent,but they do...cause of faith and hope. 

  Homeschooling isn't for everyone and it is something that you and your dh have to decide. I was home when my oldest was in public school...and she liked it when she got home to see my smiling reassuring smile.  

  People get upset with me when I say " I didn't have children for others to raise" when they ask me when am I going to work....cause my girls are school age. 

    

  

  

Shari 

Being home with my children has been a blessing and a very rewarding experience, I agree that I would never have it any other way. They just grow up too fast and I know I will never get these days back. I believe the most imporant thing we can give our children is our time and love and respect. As I believe that all of us as parents must decide what is best for our families, I have decided that to stick them in a day care center all day for others to raise is just plain wrong and selfish on my part. Of course there would be others to disagree with that and that is their choice, for as I have shared with others, It took me along time to bare my children as I was 37 when I had my first therefore I have chosen to be the one here to care for and to be there for my children. I too have gotten some negative feed back about not working and my children are not even in school yet! We are definetly living in a society where self comes first and the "it takes a village to raise our kids" syndrome is the attitude. Now I don't have a problem with others being involved with my children and I don't have a problem with giving my children their personal space and letting them play with friends, but I do have a problem with the idea that we must work a "paying" job to be contribiters to our households and to society which I know people who think that if you do not bring home a paycheck, that it means you do not contribute and that is wrong and way off base, I can give many examples of how I personally contribute to my family as well as to society. I think it is what is in our hearts to do as a mother. I have always felt the desire to be a stay at home mom and this was discussed before hubby and I even married and I thank God for a husabnd who agrees with my thinking and supports me as the mother of his children. I think once we find our passions (what means the most to us and what it is that we like to do), then we will be motivated to live life as we feel called to do and will get more enjoyment from life. for me, my passion is my family and becasue I like taking care of people and teaching, it has been a wondeerful blessing to be home. I suppose I like to boast a little bit (in a good way) that I am really proud of the fact that it is me that has been able to spend the time and energy with my kids and it is me that has taught them most of the things that they know, they are active and smart little girls and personally, I feel that my husband and I have done just as a good of a job if not better then what some one else could have done for my girls. my first priority is my family and the fact that I can be involved in other mothers lives has been very rewarding. I have found that being home with my children, I have experienced so much more energy, the desire to grow more as a person, and more passionate about parenthood as a whole. Parenting definetly is not the easiest job but I believe it is the most rewarding and fullfilling, at least for me it is. And as far as schooling goes, I think homeschooling, though it is hard work and one gigantic committment and responsibility, would be one of the greatest rewards for both children and parents as we can learn together but it is definetly not for every one as we are all of different personalities as well as our children, I think some kids learn better in a group setting then they do on one on one but there are those who would do better in a smaller setting and one on one works better for some kids, the imporant thing here is for us as parents to put the needs of our children first and seek out the best of the best especially when it comes to their education. We are still a little undecided in this area, but we will definetly put our childrens needs first and as my oldest enters preschool this fall and kindergarten next fall, we then will have more of a feel of what we should do for her. either way, she will get whatever it is that she needs (and my younger daughter as well)to grow, mature and to become the person that she is meant to be because they will be offered the very best that we have to give and I believe that is what we need to do as parents, our children deserve the best., and for me being home with them is just the beginning......................

Hi, I'm new the SHM board.  I'm married and have a 10 yr old son.  I've been reading your discussion on home schooling.  Wow, I don't think I have the patience for that.  It's hard enough dealing with the frustrations of homework which typically falls on me.  I thought that last year was tough when my son entered fourth grade.  I can't imagine what this year will be like. 

  

I enjoy being a SHM and consider myself very lucky to have the opportunity to do so, especially with only one child.  Every moment is special.  My son said to me just yesterday that he wouldn't like it if I had to work (like dad) and wasn't home when he got out of school. 

  

I do find myself desperately seeking "ADULT" conversations though.  Thanks for listening.  Have a great day.  Oh...is there anyone here who despises the term "housewife" and "homemaker"??? 

  

gardenbug2