Stay at Home Mothering

Parenting is the most important and rewarding job in the world.

Why I'm a Stay at Home Mom

I have chosen to be a stay at home mom. I love being with my children and strongly believe in their need for me to be close to them. This has led me to not only be a stay at home mom, but we also avoid using babysitters. We take our children with us wherever we go. They even attend church with us--they sit in the service with us.

In my decision to be a stay at home mom, I believe that I have made not just the best choice, but the only choice I could for the well-being of our children. We are certainly not rich, but we have enough. I believe this is where God wants me, and I trust that He will always meet our needs. I admit, when I hear about the cool things some other families with two incomes have, sometimes I get a dreamy look in my eye, but I wouldn't trade all the mini-vans or new furniture or nifty toys in the world for the rewards that being home with my children bring.

Some people think that when children are babies it doesn't really matter who takes care of them as long as the caregiver is caring and kind, but I disagree. Babies need the full opportunity to build a strong, attached, and dependent relationship with a consistent caretaker. I believe that caretaker should be first of all his mom, and also his father. This gives them a secure base from which they can grow into a strong, healthy independece as they become ready.

Our daughter (a very independent little girl, by the way), now age 3, needed me as a little baby and still needs me now to be there for her. My infant son undoubtedly needs me to be close to him. My children feel loved and cared for. By my being with them I am getting to know them very well, and I am an "expert" on my children. No one loves them more than I and my husband, and I believe that we, as their parents, should be the ones to take care of them.

One of the points in La Leche League's philosophy is that "In the early years the baby has an intense need to be with his mother, which is as basic as the need for food." The strong attachment which is being built between my children and me brings great joy and closeness to our lives and will benefit my children for the rest their lives. It will help shape who they become as adults, and it will effect how they relate to people. Jan Hunt (The Natural Child Project) states, "For the early months and years, it is essential that he [the baby] have full opportunity to bond first with his mother - only then can he successfully move on to bonded relationships with his father and, later, with other persons."

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