I had my son back in June of 2006 and for his first year, save but for about a month, I was able to stay home with him. Being able to have that first year was quite a blessing.
Let me back up though and give a little history. I come from a one-income household. My father worked and my mother stayed home with my brother and I for 17 years. From the personal experience I had with this I have to say that I loved coming home to my mother being there after school, always there to help out, etc. Her staying home also proved a very great benefit when my parents decided to pull my brother and I out of school. We were homeschooled for just over three years; we both loved it. Now, my husband on the other hand comes from a tw0-incomes household. It is a very different environment. One major difference, obviously aside from the fact of himself and his siblings not having there parent home with them, was the monetary aspect. Monetarily, because both of his parents worked, they were able to provide in great monetary amounts for their children.
So how do you decide what is best for you?
Sometimes the decision is forced, you and your spouse do not make enough off of one income to even survive in this day and age; so both of you must work. It is not easy, I'll say that from the beginning. Being away from your child or children is one of the hardest things to do. I would like to say that if you are able to stay home with your child/children, I would do it. Children need that nurturing parent home with them. The mother has been placed on this earth as the nurturer, the husband has been placed on this earth as the provider(not to take away any part of his fatherhood and place as such).
The current position my husband and I are in, we both must work. But when given the opportunity, I would like to find a way to work less and be home with our son more.
The place of residence we are currently in is pretty unsuitable for the safety of our son, so for now, my mother watches him until we can find a safe and suitable daycare provider.
It is not easy to juggle job and child. For about a year I did so up north. I was blessed for the latter half of my work up north, to have a childcare provider that was absolutely amazing with our son. If I could replicate her and bring her down here, I would. Just a little note about my provider, which I will be looking for in the next person I give charge to taking care of my son. She had a motto: "Where manners are taught, and learning is fun." Most of her charges were 3 years old and younger. She worked very well with them; she had outside time, inside play time, they learned coloring, crafts, politeness, manners...I very much enjoyed the time and effort that she put forth to take care of the children with whom their parents had entrusted her with. She always made sure the children were safe and well taken care of. One key to working and taking care of your children is that you need to know and trust and have full confidence that the person who is taking care of your child is giving them the care that you would be giving your own child. It is not easy to find people who are very attentive to the children they are in charge of. But you have to be comfortable and know who you are sending your child to.
The necessity of having this environment for your child is that you do not want your child to be stressed out after a day at their daycare, you want to know they have been safe and well-fed and well taken care of.
Most people who work and have children, their day basically begins all over again when they pick their child up from daycare.
I will post more information later....
