Pros and Cons of Being a Stay at Home mom

Are you considering becoming a stay at home mom? Take some time and examine the pros and cons of being a stay at home mom, and get some other great stay at home mom tips while you are here!

*This post contains affiliate links. See full disclosure policy below.

Favorite Stay at Home Mom T’s

Pros and Cons of Being a Stay at Home Mom

Being a stay-at-home mom is not the easiest job in the world, but I would definitely argue that it can be the most rewarding. I was in shock when I left my job in a large downtown law firm to come home and be a full time mommy to three little children. I really had no idea what I was signing on for, but I do not regret one moment of it.

Stay at Home Mom Pros

No Professional Wardrobe

When we decided that I should quit my job and stay at home, we worried a lot about losing my income, but we quickly found out that me working outside the home actually cost us quite a bit. One of the costs of working a job was my wardrobe. You can read about this and five other ways quitting your job will save you money here.

Always With Your Kids

I remember driving down the road in our fifteen passenger van with our children listening to the radio when an announcer broke in and shared the news of our first local school shooting. While I was still listening and praying, my phone rang. It was my husband who was thanking me for making the choice to stay with our children and homeschool them. He explained what a relief it was for him to know that our children were safe with me. You can find some of our favorite homeschool resources here.

No Worries About Caregivers

When you are a stay at home mom, you do not have to go to the trouble of interviewing and finding a caregiver that meets your needs and the needs of your child, and one you know is keeping your child safe. You also don’t have to worry about needing to suddenly take a day off from work because your caregiver is sick.

You are Free to put Your Family First

When I worked outside the home, I was constantly juggling my priorities. My boss would need me to stay late at work to finish a project, but my children were at home. Sometimes my children would be sick and I would want to care for them myself, but I would need to find someone else to do it so I could work.

When you are a stay at home mom, nothing competes with the priorities of home and family. You have control of how your days look and how your priorities are walked out on a daily basis. There is no need to worry about sick time or paid time off. You are simply home.

Freedom to Choose Your Child’s Education

When I chose to be a stay at home mom, I wan not really planning to homeschool my children. They were babies and toddlers, and I didn’t really even consider their education at that point. I later realized that the decision to be a stay at home mom gave me the freedom to choose non traditional education for my kids. The biggest objection to homeschooling is that parents have to work and cannot be home to teach their children.

You Determine Your Schedule and Routines

When you stay at home, you determine your schedule and routines. It is amazingly freeing to get to decide how your day looks. You can take your kids to daytime activities and lessons to allow your family to be home together in the evenings or visit attractions when there are fewer people there. Living in east Tennessee, we love to visit Dollywood in the middle of the week in the mornings when there are no lines! Here some resources for time management:

You Reap the Benefits

Unlike working for a company or a boss, you are the one who reaps the benefits of your labors. You get to live in the house you keep clean. You get to eat the meals you prepare. You get the hugs and kisses and reap all the rewards of the relationships you pour into all day. There is no corporate board making all the money while they pay you only a little. You are not building an empire for someone else. You are building your own legacy.

Cons for Being a Stay at Home Mom

I sometimes have a difficult time talking about the cons of being a stay at home mom since I believe so passionately in moms being home with their children. However, I would be lying if I said there were no struggles. After twenty years of being home and now having adult children, I can finally look back and say it has all been worth it.

You are Always with Your Kids

I know. This was listed as the first “pro” above, but it can be a struggle as well. Sometimes, a mom just needs a break for some time to take a breath and even do a little bit of self care. We love our children, but being a stay at home mom is the equivalent of being on the job twenty-four hours a day with no lunch hour or break time.

Stay at Home Mom Depression

Yes. It’s a real thing. For several reasons, when women transition from the workforce to being a full time stay at home mom, many of them experience brief periods of depression. This can sometimes be explained by the typical post partum depression since many moms come home when they have their first child. However, there is enough evidence of periods of depression in moms who have not just had a child to mention the association. You can find out more about stay at home mom depression and the causes here.

Stay at Home Mom Gear

No Sick Days

When you are a stay at home mom with small children at home, there are no sick days for you when you are sick. When I was working outside the home, I could take a sick day and still send the kids to the babysitter and give myself time to rest and get well. When you have no babysitter, even when you are sick, you still take care of your children. This leaves little time for rest and healing for you.

More Than One Job

It is a difficult transition for moms who leave a job where they have one title with a clear job description to go home where they are expected to were many hats. Suddenly, you are a nurse, chauffeur, chef, teacher, housekeeper, laundry attendant, accountant, and babysitter, just to name a few. Because you are also mom to the people you serve, you are expected to fill those roles with intense love and care.

Health Struggles

Being a stay at home mom often causes health struggles. Mom’s usually find less time to work out, and usually eat worse than when they work outside the home, especially when they have infants and toddlers. Weight gain and little exercise contribute to depression symptoms. Fortunately, if you know about these risks ahead of time, you can take steps to prevent them. Find some weight loss tips for stay at home moms here.

Losing Identity

When moms transition from a typical career to being a stay at home mom, they sometimes describe a feeling of lost identity. Before coming home, their career was a large part of who they were and how they saw themselves. The truth is, their identity is not lost, they just have a new one, and they need to manage how they think about their new career.

Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m just a mom?” I have, and it really makes me sad for them. Clearly, that person views their position as a mom as somehow “less than” the position of someone who has a typical “job.” That is not at all true. However, the risk of thinking that way is there. Moms who come home are tempted to see themselves as less important or less significant just because they do not bring home a paycheck.

Free Facebook Group for Moms

Join my free facebook group for moms here and get:

Daily accountability
Weekly live topical discussions
Special guest lives from authors, bloggers and moms in the trenches who talk about parenting, relationships, health and all topics mom related
Printable resources
Live podcast previews!