5 Benefits of Being a SAHM

The one person who understands what being a stay-at-home mom entails is another stay-at-home mom.  Am I right?  I have 4 children between the ages of 9 years and 10 months old. I have been a SAHM for the past 4 1/2 years.  It took me a lot of emotional turbulence to be as as content and fulfilled as I am today.  Have you ever felt like maybe you are not contributing enough?  Like you cannot wait to go back to work?  I must say, you could be just looking at it wrong.  You are contributing more than you realize, and what you do is definitely considered work.  If a working mother comes home and cooks dinner and throws in a load of laundry, she would also consider that still working.  Being a SAHM is an opportunity working mothers often wish they had.  Don't worry about missing that first word or the moment they get home from their first day of school.  It is also okay for the house to be a wreck and to skip cooking for a night once in awhile.


There are times where I feel obligated to keep the house perfectly tidy, especially when daddy calls and says he is on his way home and he had a hard day.  But lets face it: we can get overwhelmed.  This is when you stop and look at the bigger picture: life is short, enjoy these moments while your children are still young , the moments only you and your children can create.  Think about that toy box that just got dumped out, the same one that just got cleaned up five minutes ago (I hope I am not the only one this happens to!).  Will it be important in a year, a month, or even a week from now?  It used to be the small, insignificant (not at the time) events, such as this, in my life that made me feel overwhelmed all the time.  However, if you throw all those trivial events that overcome your emotions right out the window, your conclusion is a happier, grateful and more patient mother.

As a dedication, my first blog is to stay-at-home mommies and caretakers. I have conceived a list of reasons why you are amazing to help you appreciate your role in the family and society.

1. You Save Money!

How is that for a first bullet point!  First of all, there is not the extra expenses of childcare, full tanks of gas and shopping for new work clothes.

Childcare, on its own, can be unfavorable to a budget, especially when you have more than one child.  Age is a factor, too.  The younger the child, the more expensive it can be.  For our family, childcare during the summer months at a daycare facility would average $300-400/week!  I feel pretty good about saving my family all that money.

Instead of pumping gas to drop kids off at daycare (which is likely out of the way), then drive to work, back to daycare, THEN home...you can drive for pleasure.  Take that same gas and make lasting memories!  Whether you are going to the park or the library, it is still very likely you are saving on gas.  I am constantly finding events in the area to take my kids to during these hot summer months.  I will actually have a post about entertaining kids during summer soon.

Lastly, it is a known fact how pricey a nice work attire can be detrimental to a family-friendly budget.  I learned that I can make a pair of jeans last 5 years and my best friend won't even notice what I wear 90% of the time.  You don't have to dress to impress when you are going grocery shopping or to the drive-thru at the bank.  Enjoy being comfortable and savvy at the same time.

2. YOU Create Your Child's Memories

I definitely understand when you do not have a choice and cannot afford to stay home with your children.  I worked the first 4 years of my 2 older children's lives.  It gave me a new appreciation for being there for my children.  I was a single mother of 2, doing what I could to make ends meet.  After I met my current husband, and we decided to have children of our own, we were blessed to be provided with an opportunity that allowed me to be a stay-at-home mom.

You have the opportunity to be able to see your child take her first steps, to be babbling her first words.  You can be the one to teach her responsibility through chores and helping others.  You can teach her how to tie her own shoes and how to read.  You can teach your child your life values and morals.  There are definitely times when it can be overwhelming and you may feel out of control.  Those are the times when you take a step back and look at how proud you actually are and how beautifully your child is growing!  

3. You Have Time to Clean the House and Prepare Dinner

Sure, some of us working mothers can afford to pay for maid service and even dinner preparation.  But no one I know does.  My husband is very hard working.  He works outdoors year round, in the deadly heat of summer and the freezing icy winters.  I feel like the least I can do to contribute is keep the house clean and have him a warm home cooked dinner when he gets home.  This is not something I grew up just knowing how to do.  I taught myself how to cook.  And, if I do say so myself I am a pretty good one.  I would love to share some of my frugal and savory meals with you.

When I was working, all I wanted to do was take a shower and play with my babies for a couple hours before I had to go to bed and start over in the morning.  To be able to have the time to cook and clean is a good thing!  I am at the stage now that we have created the dreaded "chore chart".  You can print a blank chore chart off Pinterest and buy a book of reward stickers for $1 and you are good to go!  

My kids have seem to taken pretty well to it.  They are inadvertently learning responsibility and daily tasks that they will need throughout life.  Double bonus!



4. Watch Them Grow!

The person who loves that perfect little child more than anything in the entire world is YOU!  Stop whatever you are doing and look at your child.  Look at the beautiful smile, those little tiny finger nails, the shape of their toes.  See how easy it is to make him smile.  Remember when you were a child, how simple life was?  When we look at our children, we are given that opportunity again.  We can enjoy the simplicity of life.  It seems like everyday they grow another inch.  Some days, I think I have actually seen them grow an inch so I'll make them stand with their feet against the wall to check their height.  It is kinda like watching grass grow though.  But, then before you know, they are up to your shoulders!

5. You Experience a Different Kind of Stress, Maybe Even a Good Kind of Stress
Okay, I am sure I have lost most of my readers now, but I will keep going in case there is one or two of you left!  You know the stress you experience when you have a customer that just will not stop complaining or an employee that is never happy with anything in her life.  It makes me think of the saying "Misery loves company".  They are telling you everything negative that they can possibly think of and want you to feel their pain?  Well, that can definitely be stressful.  It can make you feel like you don't want to go back to work the next day.  You can't wait to get home.


Well, when your kids are drawing on the walls and playing in the mud after you told them not to, is that the same kind of stress?  I don't think so, because it is your children.  It is not some acquaintance from work that is like a fly in your ear.  The stress that they impose you most likely won't remember in 10 years.  But the stress your children impose, you will remember for the rest of your life.  Your brain is hard-wired to store the information that seems vital to your memory.  If that makes any sense, I would much rather my children cause me stress all day!  You contribute to being a better wife, mother, and woman with less stress.


With this being said, I give a lot of credit to work-at-home moms, too.  I was one myself for the first 4 years.  But, there is so much to appreciate about a stay-at-home mother.  We believe that is the foundation of our family.  What do you think the best part is?  I would love to hear your answers!