I've read/heard a lot of people lately say that everyone should be able to experience being a SAHM and you should at least try it out. I'm wondering if these people have considered that some moms may WANT to work and that being a SAHM isn't for everyone?
My questions to working moms...do you work FT or PT? What are your reasons for working?
I work M-F 7-3:30. My reasons:
1. I am passionate about my career. I earned a Master's degree for a reason and plan to use it. If I wanted to be a SAHM, I wouldn't have wasted my time in graduate school.
2. I enjoy having a professional identity outside of "Mom"
3. DH and I enjoy living comfortable. With 2 new cars and a mortgage, we have always planned to be a 2-income household.
4. I refuse to use government assistance as long as I have a choice about it! (note...I know that unfortunate circumstances can always lead to anyone needing them!)
Re: food for thought...
Exactly. I don't understand why we always have to have a reason to want to work. I just want to. I feel like when these conversations come up, the reasons sound like we are making excuses.
I want to work. period.
ETA: OP - I know you are just making conversation and aren't saying we need excuses. I am just commenting on the overall need to have a reason.
No, I don't think anyone needs a reason to work...I was just stating mine. I want to work, too. That was the whole point...I just have a multitude of reasons for wanting to work. And I don't see reasons as excuses. Just like people have reasons for wanting to stay at home, I have reasons why I want to work. I'm definitely not cut out to be a SAHM.
And most of the comments about everyone should try being a stay at home mom aren't from on here...just stuff IRL or on the bump iphone app.
Not sure if you saw my edit. I didn't mean for my comments to be directed at you. I understood your point, I was just commenting on the issue in general.
I was planning on being a sahm for a year then going back, however I might go back sooner just for fun money and more interaction. My dh makes a very good living so we can live very comfortably on his income and we're lucky that our only debt is our mortgage. If I had a job previously that I had loved, I would have probably wanted to go back to it, however I hated my job with a passion. If I go back to work it will be doing something I enjoy no matter how much or little it pays. Although if it doesn't cover daycare costs then I won't bother. Plus we plan on having 2u2 so I may end up staying home till #2 is 6 months.
I think its great no matter what a mom decides to do, whether its work because you need to or want to, or sahm because you need/want to. You just have to deal with the fact that people are going to judge no matter what you do. Especially the older generations where women stayed home most of the time, they feel that that's the only way to go.
I work M-F from 8-5 in a managerial position at a University. I LOVE my job, sure I miss being at home, but my income is good and I want my kids to have everything that I did not have when I was growing up including a college fund for all three of my kids.
I could stay home....but it would be tight on one income.
I work M-F 7:30-4 and sometimes an hour or so at home in the evenings or on weekends.
I work because I really like my job and I've worked hard to get where I am right now in my career. Also, I work in a predominately male-dominated field of law, and it would be difficult to move up in my career if I took off a year or more to stay home with the babies (I'd have a difficult time explaining that to potential bosses, since they would likely be 40-50 year old males).
That being said, even if I didn't like my job, we need both incomes - we both have law school loans, a mortgage, two car payments, and some credit card debt (my fault - I went through a bit of a "shopping" frenzy in law school ). Plus, we like to travel and want to set up nice college funds for the babies, which we couldn't do on just one income.