Do you work outside the home?

Discussion in 'The Toddler Years(1-3)' started by CHJH, Aug 6, 2008.

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Do you work outside the home?

  1. Yes, I work full time outside the home.

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  2. Yes, I work part time outside the home.

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  3. No, I work for pay from home.

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  4. No, I am a stay-at-home mom.

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  1. CHJH

    CHJH Well-Known Member

    Just curious how many of you work outside the home. I worked full time before my boys were born and my maternity leave officially ended when they turned one in March. I didn't go back to work for a few reasons (couldn't find affordable childcare, didn't make much money at my job anyway, my boys were JUST starting to become fun, etc.). When it came right down to it, my salary was the same as what we'd pay in daycare or nanny fees, PLUS there's the cost of transportation and "business" clothes. So it just didn't add up. Sometimes I really miss working (the money, the social aspects, using my brain) but I do enjoy raising the boys (even though they tire me out!).



    I'd love to hear your reason(s) for working/not working, if you're willing to share.
     
  2. CROSSTWINS

    CROSSTWINS Well-Known Member

    My reason for working is the money. We couldn't pay the bills without both of our incomes.
     
  3. Leighann

    Leighann Well-Known Member

    I work full time outside the house, but DH and I both have flexible schedules so we have a sitter for only 3 afternoons a week. Oh and my sister and mom help out a couple evening a week when I have work meetings (but thats not every week).

    I work because I finished graduate school while pregnant and landed my dream job. If I had decided to stay home and hope that I would be able to get this job in a couple of years (when the girls are in school) was not realistic. Plus I love my job... but I do miss the girls terribly when I'm not with them. However they LOVE our sitter and she is great about taking pictures and video of them so we know exactly what they do when they are at her house. Its definitely a trade-off, but it works for our family.
     
  4. Marieber

    Marieber Well-Known Member

    I work because I like work, and also because we would have had to sacrifice a lot if I gave up my salary. I know I am making sacrifices either way, but for us this has been the right decision so far.
     
  5. excitedk

    excitedk Well-Known Member

    I work 30-45hrs/week outside of the home. I stayed home the first 6 months, then worked 2 days a week (24hrs) until they were 15 months, and since then I am back pretty much full time. I work 12hr shifts and so does dh so we work alternate days and do not have to use daycare/nanny, so all the money we make is ours. We both also love doing both jobs, neither of us would be happy working 5 days/week or staying home with them fulltime, but this way we are both happy :D They get equal mommy and daddy time, which dh also loves.
    But one of the biggest reasons we both feel comfortable working is both of our schedules are VERY flexible. We can not work if there is something important to do, if we want to take off 2-3 weeks for vacation, etc.
     
  6. Babies4Susan

    Babies4Susan Well-Known Member

    I work FT from home with very occasional travel. I work because we need the income, my pay is very good and my job is very flexible. I don't love my job, but I don't hate it either. I do like when I get out to meet with coworkers/customer though, it gives me a break from always being home.

    I have the girls in daycare 3 days/week and a nanny 2 days/week.
     
  7. Trishandthegirls

    Trishandthegirls Well-Known Member

    I work full time outside the house because I like my job. I enjoy the adult interaction, the mental challenge, problem solving, and getting out of the house. The extra income isn't bad either. I stayed home for ten months with my girls and enjoyed that too, but I missed work. We have a wonderful nanny who comes to our house while I'm at work. My job is on east coast time so I'm home by 3 in the afternoon. I also have a very flexible schedule so I meet the girls for lunch once a week and can usually take one afternoon off to do something fun. If my schedule wasn't flexible and the pay wasn't good, I probably wouldn't work.
     
  8. Aurie

    Aurie Well-Known Member

    I did the SAHM thing when my oldest were young. I HATED it! I loved the time I had with my boys, but it really drove me crazy to not have adults around once in a while, not to feel "worth" while, not to feel mentally challanged. Since my first daughter was born, I have worked part time on weekends. To me it is like having the best of both worlds. I get to have a little bit of adult time, a little extra money, a break from the family and still get to be with the kids most of the time. It also gives daddy time to learn from the kids and about the kids as I work when he isn't. Thus he is then the sole childcare provider.
     
  9. AriaGirl77

    AriaGirl77 Well-Known Member

    I'm a SAHM. I was a real estate agent before the girls came along. I wasn't a "hard core" agent, I only made about $20,000 on a good year. Our plan has always been for me to be a SAHM, we decided that when we first got married. But I toyed with the idea of doing real estate part time once I became a mom. Then we found out we were having twins and I was very sick during my pregnancy so I had to stop working earlier than I expected. But during my pregnancy was also when the housing market took a hit and I know that if I had stayed in it I would have had to work a lot harder to earn the same amount of money, so in the end it made sense for me to put my career on the back burner for a while.

    Now that I'm no longer an agent I'm SO GLAD that I'm not trying to make it work in this market!!! I feel like I got out of the business at just the right time! Plus now I think that if I had to work I'd probably like to go into something different anyway. I think once the girls are in school I'd like to work part time, maybe property management or something.
     
  10. mich17

    mich17 Well-Known Member

    I work full time. I don't love my job, but it a good job & is paying for everyones future. My kids only go to a sitter 2 days a week & I pick them up by 2. I feel as if I have 2 full time jobs, but it's working & allows us some freedom in the $ department.
     
  11. Oneplus2more

    Oneplus2more Well-Known Member

    I always planned to work part time when I had kids, and for a long time when I was childless I had jobs that tht would have worked great with. About a year before DD1 was born, I switched employers, my new employers was "supposedly" working mom friendly. When DD1 was born, I couldn't work out any less than full time, which to do the job right really meant about 55 hrs/week, so I decided to be a SAHM...I still think pt is ideal :D , but I do really enjoy it - most days!!

    But now, with three, daycare costs would eat up almost my entire take home pay :eek:
     
  12. Moodyzblu

    Moodyzblu Well-Known Member

    I'm a single mom so I pretty much have to work full time. The boys go to daycare and I go to work 40 hours a week.
     
  13. Minette

    Minette Well-Known Member

    I'm a FT WOHM. My salary just barely covers daycare, but financially we're still a bit ahead because I'm putting way money for my 401(K), etc. But mostly I do it because I like my job, and I had no desire to stay home. My kids love their daycare and we're all much happier with me working.
     
  14. JDMummy

    JDMummy Well-Known Member

    I consider teaching full time even though I am off in the summer. I work because I can't afford to NOT work and I have to work in order to keep my foot in the door (career-wise). I am not tenured.
     
  15. veggiehead

    veggiehead Well-Known Member

    This has been great to read all of the different replies!!
    I am a SAHM (used to be a PE teacher and coach) I will eventually go back to coaching, but I get such great satisfaction staying at home with my kids. It is tougher than any job I ever had, but totally worth it for me.
     
  16. ahmerl

    ahmerl Well-Known Member

    I work from home. I have been the main breadwinner for our family since we got married (6 yrs. ago) and I am actually hoping that it is not this way forever. DH is a superintendent for a construction company. I work for a company based in Maryland out of my home in FLA. I am very fortunate as I make a great paycheck, have excellent benefits, and get to spend all day with my babies. I have a nanny 3 days a week for 4 hours and between those days and their naps I am able to get enough work done to get by. I do have to travel a bit and I detest it. Okay, sometimes I love the nice quiet hotel rooms but I hate to leave the kids.

    I work because we have always had my salary and we are used to it. I am on the last year of a three year contract and we are hoping to sell our current home (we built it two years ago and it is a money pit) so that I do not feel so much pressure to renew my contract next year. I would love for DH to take over the financial responsibility.

    I do feel very fortunate; however, sometimes it is very hard to fit in work at home, babies at home, and home care at home. I tend to feel a bit overwhelmed as I am unable to "leave" work and go home as my home is where my work is and I am equally unable to "leave" home to go to work as my work is at my home.
     
  17. ChristinaB

    ChristinaB Well-Known Member

    I'm a stay at home mom and have been since my oldest was born 9 years ago. I stay home because I want to be fully involved in raising my children and I feel I can best contribute to the world by raising kind, compassionate, hard-working children.
     
  18. chris629

    chris629 Well-Known Member

    I may be a sahm, but I work hard. lol!
     
  19. CHJH

    CHJH Well-Known Member

    QUOTE(chris629 @ Aug 6 2008, 10:46 PM) [snapback]917925[/snapback]
    I may be a sahm, but I work hard. lol!


    NOBODY on this site would ever argue that!
     
  20. chris629

    chris629 Well-Known Member

  21. DATJMom

    DATJMom Well-Known Member

    I am a SAHM. There are many days when I wish I went to work outside of the home, but life is too short and daycare is too expensive for 3 kids.
     
  22. clb8899

    clb8899 Well-Known Member

    I just went back to work this past weekend. We could have afforded for me to stay home as far as my pay is concerned. However, my husband is self-employed so we need my health insurance. It would be too expensive for me to stay home & pay for our own health insurance. I would go crazy if I had to stay home every day. I like talking to adults!! Our babysitter is reasonably priced & she loves all of our kids.
     
  23. Ericka B

    Ericka B Well-Known Member

    I JUST went back to work part time (30 hours, 4 days) but I had a really great opportunity come up. I have found friend's to watch the boys for a reasonable amount of money and my schedule is as flexible as I need it to be. If it was any other way I wouldn't be able to do it for the same reasons you described. I LOVE my boys but I was getting miserably overwhelmed and exhausted being at home with them 24/7. I really love being able to work, for me it is so much easier than being home with them all day and it makes me a better more attentive mother when I am home.
     
  24. NicoleT

    NicoleT Well-Known Member

    I was home with the twins until they were 10 months old. At that time my husband got laid-off and I started looking so I went back out of necessity. I ended up with a really good job making very good money and had parents who were willing to watch the kids for free. I really want to be home full-time, but right now we still need some of my income to make ends meet and save for retirement and college for the kids. I hope to be able to go more part-time in the near future.
     
  25. sharongl

    sharongl Well-Known Member

    I didn't vote, because I consider myself a SAHM, BUT, I do alot of small jobs to earn extra money. Up until now, I have tutored, I sew for various people (hooded towels, now dresses, and a side buisness doing scout patches), I sell Pampered Chef, I work for my mom's catering buisness, and I think that is it. In the summers I work full time at a day camp--the perk is my kids go for free while I earn a salary. This year my boys will be in school all day, so I plan to substitue a few days a week. The summer job reminds me of why I don't want a full time job--I just can't keep up with everything else!
     
  26. jakeandpeytonsmommy

    jakeandpeytonsmommy Well-Known Member

    I work full time as a teacher. So, I guess I have a little of both worlds right now cause I have off for the summer!
    I work b/c I love it. I love challenging young minds, I need the money (LOL, who doesn't!), and the boys have their dad or grandparents during the day watching them...no daycare needed. It was always a choice and one that I wanted.
    I love my sons and I think each day when I come home I am a better mom to them b/c I have more patience. Hats off to SAHMS, you all rock!
     
  27. TeeandGee

    TeeandGee Well-Known Member

    I went back to work when our girls were 14 months old. The main reasons were that we needed the second income, the benefits at my work are amazing, my work is not stressful and my boss is very flexible. We were very fortunate that with DH's hours, we only needed daycare 2 days/week. So, the girls are at daycare for 2 days and the rest of the time they are with family (myself, DH or my Mom). It works out perfectly for our family - the girls get the best of both worlds (lots of family time and also time with other kiddies and trained daycare providers).
     
  28. nicoleznc

    nicoleznc New Member

    I work full time. I really enjoy the adult interaction and living on one salary just wouldn't work for us. I think it works out best this way for all of us. We have an au pair from Germany that lives with us. It is much cheaper than having two kids in daycare and we don't have to take them anywhere in the mornings. We just started our second year with the au pair and it is working well for us.
     
  29. noahandjacobsmom

    noahandjacobsmom Well-Known Member

    I work outside the home as a teacher. I work because I need interaction with the outside world. I feel I give my all to the boys when I get them from preschool to when they go to bed. They have all my attention on weekends, holiday breaks and most of every week in the summer. I do send them to school 3 days a week to keep the routine for fall.

    When I took off the first year, I felt very isolated and depressed being home all day. I had 18 years with my DH from dating, college, teaching, to doing our own thing and even though I love being their mama it was hard to lose social interaction like I did.
     
  30. Phia713

    Phia713 Well-Known Member

    I work full-time outside of the home because I am the main bread-winner. I wish I could have the choice of working or staying at home, but right now we cannot do it.
     
  31. MNTwinSquared

    MNTwinSquared Well-Known Member

    I went back to my previous job (dispatcher for a bus company) when the twins turned 6 months. My mom had offered her sitting services for 2 days a week. To be honest, my head just wasn't in the job anymore. I quit when it became too much for my mom and she had other things going on, which was about 2 weeks before I got pregnant with Evan (twins were almost 2 year old). So, I am a FT SAHM. My salary would not have been worth putting the kids in daycare. Now with three....
     
  32. snoopytwins

    snoopytwins Well-Known Member

    QUOTE(twincubs06 @ Aug 7 2008, 07:41 AM) [snapback]918348[/snapback]
    I work full-time outside of the home because I am the main bread-winner. I wish I could have the choice of working or staying at home, but right now we cannot do it.

    Ditto this! That is exactly my situation.
     
  33. nurseandrea02

    nurseandrea02 Well-Known Member

    I work FT as a nurse. I'm the breadwinner & I carry our benefits since my husband is self employed. Even if I attempted to go PT, the cost of benefits & daycare outweigh the change in my income.

    That being said, I work three 12 hr night shifts per week. The boys go to daycare the following mornings from 7am-3pm, a maximum of 3 days per week. We're also fortunate in that we know our *new* daycare directors so we're allowed to pay part time when most centers don't allow that until over the age of 2. My schedule varies & is fairly flexible & daycare is flexible with it.

    I'd love to work part time, but I could NEVER be a SAHM. I need the adult interaction & mental challenge that being a nurse gives me. I hate having my kids in daycare (especially since we still haven't found one that they truly do well at...yet...hopefully our current one WILL be the one), but we have no other option since I can't have someone in my house watching them while I sleep (I'd never sleep!). My husband cares for them during the day on the weekends I work & I sleep with ear plugs in & a fan blaring to tune them out!

    When the boys get older & stop napping, I'll probably get them from daycare earlier. I don't NEED them there til 3, it just works out for their nap/snack schedule right now.
     
  34. Jen620

    Jen620 Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    I was workign full time up until we moved here. When DD1 was an only child we have family watching her. When Joey was born, I had the rest of the school year off; when August rolled around DH was on midnights, so familyl came to watch them for a few months. Then he got laid off. I continued workign full time.

    When he got a new job we moved away from family, so I stayed home for a year. Now I teach part time at a community college. My schedule varies each semester, but we have it worked out so I don't have to pay for child care.

    I voted "work part time" because that's what I do now.
     
  35. erwelch

    erwelch Well-Known Member

    I was planning on going back to work when my DS was a year old but I got pregnant with my twins when he was only 10mths so my plans were on hold. I would love to go back to work but I can't get myself to have someone else spend so much time with my kids. I really do think that being a SAHM is much harder than working outside of the home. There are many days that I would give anything to go back to work!
     
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