For me and DH, it was our top priority to have me be a stay-at-home-mom when we had our kids. I was making more at the time, but he had a better potential long-term income. I wanted to be at home with the kids.
I did not work at all until they were in college. We all liked me being home, I cover all the homefront needs and DH earns the living. We found that if I run the errands and manage all the details all week he can relax and do things he likes on the weekends. He was (and still is) a very involved father, just not 8-4 M-F.
Financially, yeah, it's a big hit to your income, but I just couldn't see paying someone else to do what I truly wanted to do. So I guess it was an emotional decision, not a financial one. We just made sure that we could live on one income, with the idea of me going back to work as the emergency plan.
I've never regretted being a one income family and being a SAHM. It's absolutely been the best time in my life. Retirement wise, I'm sure we'd have more money, more vacations, better furniture, nicer house, more stuff if I had worked.
I've been working part-time for a little over 2 years. I like making money again and making a contribution toward DH's retirement. But I'm in a "small" part time job, very little time commitment and not much money. I'm looking for something meatier, more interesting and with more hours. I'd like a bigger savings when he retires (with 30 years in a public employees pension) in a little over 5 years.
The problem is that I was out of the workforce for 22 years and what I do now is not related to my career before kids. So I'm having a hard time finding a decent paying part time job.
People just don't seem to have any respect for the years you spent being a mother and home economist when everyone else has a long accomplished work history. I guess that's part of the sacrifice of being a non-working woman. The working moms have plenty on their resumes, I had to go back 22 years to list accomplishments that don't seem to be relevant anymore. The company had gone under, I had no references. At least now after working 2 years, I have some good references.
I did not work at all until they were in college. We all liked me being home, I cover all the homefront needs and DH earns the living. We found that if I run the errands and manage all the details all week he can relax and do things he likes on the weekends. He was (and still is) a very involved father, just not 8-4 M-F.
Financially, yeah, it's a big hit to your income, but I just couldn't see paying someone else to do what I truly wanted to do. So I guess it was an emotional decision, not a financial one. We just made sure that we could live on one income, with the idea of me going back to work as the emergency plan.
I've never regretted being a one income family and being a SAHM. It's absolutely been the best time in my life. Retirement wise, I'm sure we'd have more money, more vacations, better furniture, nicer house, more stuff if I had worked.
I've been working part-time for a little over 2 years. I like making money again and making a contribution toward DH's retirement. But I'm in a "small" part time job, very little time commitment and not much money. I'm looking for something meatier, more interesting and with more hours. I'd like a bigger savings when he retires (with 30 years in a public employees pension) in a little over 5 years.
The problem is that I was out of the workforce for 22 years and what I do now is not related to my career before kids. So I'm having a hard time finding a decent paying part time job.
People just don't seem to have any respect for the years you spent being a mother and home economist when everyone else has a long accomplished work history. I guess that's part of the sacrifice of being a non-working woman. The working moms have plenty on their resumes, I had to go back 22 years to list accomplishments that don't seem to be relevant anymore. The company had gone under, I had no references. At least now after working 2 years, I have some good references.