Career or Children?

I was in this situation, but my son came home from the sitter and said the F bomb, so I looked at my husband and said, I am quitting my job and staying home to raise our children. This was 17 yrs ago, and I am still not back to my teaching career. We needed the income, so I became a daycare provider. I had gone threw 7 of them with my son and finally thought i found a good one! I think if it were just my child asking me to stay home, I would explain that mommy has to work, but promise to take a special day off of work and spend it with her.

To me what the child wants is more attention from you. Perhaps you can have special days with each child, when you are off of course. Take one child and just have a day together. Or even half a day. I think a child is just saying I want to feel like I matter in your life when they say "please stay at home with me" I used to take one at a time out for either a day or half a day whenever I was off and the kids seem to look forward enough to that. Whenever they wanted me for extra time I would remind them about the weekend when we were going to do something together. Even if is sitting and playing Barbies!!! Oh what a flash back I just had. Thank you!!!

I know what that feels like, my 3-yr old does that to me. At least once a week he would stop me on my way out to go to the office and ask me not to go. My heart melts everytime he does that but I also know that they are the reason why I am working hard so I would go down to his level, look at him in the eyes and explain that mommy would love to stay at home and be with him but for now, I have to work so that there may be food on the table and so that he can go to school. But I always leave with a promise in my heart, that someday I won't have to leave him and go to work.

I've been married for more than five years now and at present, we do have one daughter for a child. My husband and I do have separate jobs; I earn more than my husband, too. But still, we find it difficult to make ends meet because we're still in the process of paying all of our outstanding monetary obligations with various individuals and institutions. I guess with our current financial status, I couldn't easily give up my job to take care of our child not that I don't want to but more because I think it will be a lot harder if we were to depend solely on my spouse's income from his unstable job. Even before I graduated from college, I already have plans to put up my own business because I prefer being my own boss rather than working for someone else. Unfortunately, I don't have the required capital to start one so I have no other choice but to be employed in a company. This is definitely my personal choice because I want to spend more quality time with family and friends. But I'm afraid that several months from now, I will be forced to experience this because the company I'm working with for nearly four years now is planning to close shop by the end of this year or until the first quarter of next year.

I was blessed to be a stay at home executive! I am, although work is very scarce, the admin of my husband's company. I refused to rent an office because of my children so we added an office onto our home. This meant I never left work but also that I never left home! Difficult at times but a great way to raise a family and make good money.

Since I am stuck with a contract at this time being, it won't be possible. But if given the chance, I think I will not quit my job. I just love my job now. It gives me a sense on achievement I will only quit my job if only I had some strong reason to quit like taking care of sick family members, then I'll quit my job.

Well in my case that is true, good career, earn more than husband. I don't think I would do that simply because one child asked. I would do it if there were other reasons, children having problems of some sort. We'd have to sell the house and buy a cheaper one to be able to pull it off though.

This can be a tough question when you think about it. I am a stay at home mother and I think about going to work again one day when I can. However I believe that my child is more important to me than making more money than my husband. Why have kids in the first place? People want kids and then they want to hold down jobs. As adults we should be responsible and mature enough to know what we can handle instead of putting the cart before the horse. I think I would contemplate staying home with my son if he were pleading with me.

In my case I'm already fortunate enough to get to be a stay at home mom, but if I did have a job where I brought in more income than my husband and our children wanted me to stay home, we would have to have a serious discussion. Maybe my husband could quit his job and stay home with the kids or maybe I could look for a different job where I could work from home. I truly think that it is important for one parent to be able to stay home with their children.