Mom's- To Work or not to Work?

My daughter is 6 months old. My husband works full time and makes decent pay. So.....to work or not to work?

I think you should do whatever makes you feel fulfilled. Of course, your child needs you, but you need to be happy too.

I went back to work part-time when my son was 10 months old. It helped me interact with adults and get out of the house. It helped him socialize with other children his age.

I, personally, would like to see you stay at home with your child IF you don't have to work for financial reasons. Do you want to be the person to set the standards for your child or someone you may not even know? Soon enough he will be going to school where he will be around every kind of impressionable attitutude, use of bad language, and peer pressure you can imagine. He needs a good solid foundation now, so he can discern what is right and wrong.

Do you want to be there for your child when he is sick, says his first words, takes his first steps? There are plenty of mothers-day-out programs where you can take your child for a little "running around time" for yourself. If you wanted a child, then self-fulfillment was not in your mind at that time. You wanted a little angel to call your own and to mold into a funcitional, good person. AND raising a child in this world to face the moral, social, and spiritual struggles is a huge responsiblility. You will be so surprised how quickly your child grows up and when it is all said and done, you want to say "I put 100% into this human being I chose to bring into this world!" Love him every minute...they grow up too fast!

Sure enough it is your choice whether you work or not, but there are definitely advantages to your kids to have Mom at home. No one will care for the child quite like you. If the child had the option, I'm guessing you would get his/her vote to be the primary caretaker.