第1个回答 2015-04-19
When you have a child, you eventually may have to decide whether you will go back to work. Deciding whether to be a working mother or a stay-at-home mother requires looking at your financial situation. However, it also involves investigating other factors such as your emotional state and the logistics of providing child care. There is no right or wrong, since all mothers have different circumstances, personalities and skills, but to move forward in either direction, you should discuss your options with your partner or supportive friends and family.
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Think about the physical needs of you and your children. For example, if you choose to breastfeed, it can be easier to stay at home since your child always will have food on demand. Care for special needs children such as those with autism is typically much more expensive, and it can be harder to find a daycare facility equipped to meet your child's needs. You may find that it is more cost-effective and emotionally easier on your child to care for her yourself.
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Examine your budget. If you stay home, you'll have to rely just on your partner's income, or income from friends and family. Staying at home may not be a good idea if you will struggle just to make ends meet. If you are on the edge of having a workable income, ask yourself whether you could work just a few hours from home instead of going back to a traditional job. For example, you may be able to teach piano or sell items you craft. Generally, families with higher incomes have both parents working. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010, families with incomes between $10,000 and $25,000 have the highest percentage -- up to 43 percent -- of stay-at-home mothers. By the time income reaches $75,000 to $99,999, only 14 percent of mothers stay home with their kids.
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Tally the cost of daycare. You may find that the amount you spend for someone to watch your children reduces your wages to the point where the worth of your employment becomes questionable. If you spend more than half of your personal income for daycare, it may be better just to trim your budget than to sacrifice time with your children.
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Look at the age of your children. Being around your children during the first year or two is most critical to their development and the formation of the mother-child bond. If your children are older, they may be better able to handle you not being around in the day.
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Ask yourself whether you can handle the issues that come with working and staying home. If you work, you'll have to deal with being away from your children and missing out on things they do. You'll also be subject to corporate regulations and stresses. If you stay at home, you may start to lose a sense of self because it is harder to find time to do things for yourself. You may end up feeling isolated, particularly if you are in a new area where you have not had an opportunity to make a lot of friends.
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Consider if it would be easy to resume your career if you stayed home for a few years. Some jobs such as nursing are more difficult to re-enter since you may need to complete a significant number of extra training hours to get your license current.
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Should you be a stay at home mom, or a working mom?
Can you afford it? This is the first and most obvious factor many people consider. Giving up a salary is hard to do, especially in a difficult economy. But you might not be giving up as much money as you would think. After you take into consideration the costs of daycare (anywhere from $4,000 – $15,000 per year), taxes, commuting, professional wardrobe, eating out, and other work related expenses, your take home pay may be less than a third of your actual salary. If you can afford to give up that amount of income, you may decide it is not worth the headache of juggling the stresses of work and raising a family.
Do you want someone else raising your children? This was the deciding factor for us. My wife and I prefer to raise our children instead of shipping them off to day care for the first few years of life (we do not have any family close enough to help out). Your situation may differ if you have a relative who can watch over your children while you work either full or part time. But we want to cherish the time we have when they are young.
Will being a stay at home mom hurt your career? This is an important question to ask. Taking a several year hiatus from the work force can set your career back if/when you decide to return to the work force. But that doesn’t mean you can’t remain active and work on your skills while you are a stay at home mom. You can work as a freelance writer, remain active in professional organizations, obtain professional licenses or certifications, teach online courses, teach evenings at a local community college or university, go back to school, start a small business, etc. There are many other proactive things you can do to lessen the affect of being out of the traditional work force for several years. You may even decide to use this as the launching point for a new career.本回答被网友采纳