Stay at home parenting vs professional vocation

[Michelle_in_KC]

carol marie:

Please reread my post. I am NOT on any high horse… nor was I criticizing Jenn or any other working MOM’s decision to go to work - if someone is so miserable at home they aren’t going to do a very good job of caring for their child. I was merely pointing out that Jenn really can’t say that being a SAHM wasn’t difficult since she only DID it for 22 months and then quit when she got depressed being at home. It would be the equivalent of me saying, “I don’t think it’s so difficult being married… I did it for 22 months.” Right.

And regarding the Lord’s vocation for everyone… if He gives you children, I believe you are called to raise them. NOT dump them off on someone else so you can pursue your own “happiness” elsewhere. If, as a Mother, you don’t want to do that… then wonderful if you have a husband who is willing to stay at home and take care of them.

Children who are cared for by a loving parent are much better off then children who are raised in daycare. Oh… unless of course your name is Andrea Yates as you so kindly pointed out.

I apologize that I misread your meaning.

I believe that being a SAHM IS difficult at times. As I mentioned before, I know quite a few…even within my family.

Look, God gave me a husband with a high school education. He took college classes but never figured out what he wanted to do so quit wasting his money and got a job. He’s a wonderful husband and father. God also gave me the ability to earn an MBA and have a job that provides the majority of financial support for my family. I’ve been dealing long and hard with the reality of my situation. I’ve termed it that I’ve been “fighting” with God a little bit because I read all this stuff that I “should” be at home with my babies and it’s a mother’s “natural place” to be at home. I’ve been beating myself up for the last four years because I’ve been working while my husband has been primary caregiver to our babies. Recently, I’ve taken stock and realized that my children are NOT suffering to have their father take care of them. I get to play with them and take care of them and teach them in the evenings and on weekends.

I guess I’ve just finally come to accept that God doesn’t have the same blueprint for every mother out there.

 

[kaymart]

There are wonderful, loving, caring stay at home Moms, with well mannered children and keep a nice home,not a show place but comfortable. And then there are stay at home Moms who are sloppy, lazy, with dirty houses (and I don’t mean kid’s toys around or breakfast dishes in the sink-I mean filith) and bratty, fresh children. The other end of the scope there are Great, loving working Moms who balance work, children and home quite nicely, asks daycare provider how was her child’s(ren) day and so on and takes the time to give her children her attention at night. Then there is the working mother who can’t wait to drop the child(ren) in daycare, go to work, stop off to shop, have a drink or whatever, before picking up Junior who’s been in daycare for the past 10-12 hours, and doesn’t even ask how was his day or brushes off the daycare worker who is trying to tell her something important about her child. Throws Mc Donalds at him in the back of the car, baths him quickly puts in bed within a half hour being home and then she “relaxes” because she’s had a hard day (everyday)It’s not whether she works or not it’s how they take on their roles as Mother.

 

[vluvski]

While I still believe SAHM is best, I do have to say I have a lot of respect for people who do juggle work and home without raising bratty kids, and managing to give them plenty of the same opportunities SAHMs can give their children.

 

[Celia]

kaymart:

There are wonderful, loving, caring stay at home Moms, with well mannered children and keep a nice home,not a show place but comfortable. And then there are stay at home Moms who are sloppy, lazy, with dirty houses (and I don’t mean kid’s toys around or breakfast dishes in the sink-I mean filith) and bratty, fresh children. The other end of the scope there are Great, loving working Moms who balance work, children and home quite nicely, asks daycare provider how was her child’s(ren) day and so on and takes the time to give her children her attention at night. Then there is the working mother who can’t wait to drop the child(ren) in daycare, go to work, stop off to shop, have a drink or whatever, before picking up Junior who’s been in daycare for the past 10-12 hours, and doesn’t even ask how was his day or brushes off the daycare worker who is trying to tell her something important about her child. Throws Mc Donalds at him in the back of the car, baths him quickly puts in bed within a half hour being home and then she “relaxes” because she’s had a hard day (everyday)It’s not whether she works or not it’s how they take on their roles as Mother.

Very well said kaymart. That’s the bottom line. Excellent post.

 

[MariaG]

I self deleted my work before I posted it. I would suggest everyone work forward from Kaymart.

posted by kaymart
There are wonderful, loving, caring stay at home Moms, with well mannered children and keep a nice home,not a show place but comfortable. And then there are stay at home Moms who are sloppy, lazy, with dirty houses (and I don’t mean kid’s toys around or breakfast dishes in the sink-I mean filith) and bratty, fresh children. The other end of the scope there are Great, loving working Moms who balance work, children and home quite nicely, asks daycare provider how was her child’s(ren) day and so on and takes the time to give her children her attention at night. Then there is the working mother who can’t wait to drop the child(ren) in daycare, go to work, stop off to shop, have a drink or whatever, before picking up Junior who’s been in daycare for the past 10-12 hours, and doesn’t even ask how was his day or brushes off the daycare worker who is trying to tell her something important about her child. Throws Mc Donalds at him in the back of the car, baths him quickly puts in bed within a half hour being home and then she “relaxes” because she’s had a hard day (everyday)It’s not whether she works or not it’s how they take on their roles as Mother.

 

[MariaG]

Michelle in KC:

I apologize that I misread your meaning.

I believe that being a SAHM IS difficult at times. As I mentioned before, I know quite a few…even within my family.

Look, God gave me a husband with a high school education. He took college classes but never figured out what he wanted to do so quit wasting his money and got a job. He’s a wonderful husband and father. God also gave me the ability to earn an MBA and have a job that provides the majority of financial support for my family. I’ve been dealing long and hard with the reality of my situation. I’ve termed it that I’ve been “fighting” with God a little bit because I read all this stuff that I “should” be at home with my babies and it’s a mother’s “natural place” to be at home. I’ve been beating myself up for the last four years because I’ve been working while my husband has been primary caregiver to our babies. Recently, I’ve taken stock and realized that my children are NOT suffering to have their father take care of them. I get to play with them and take care of them and teach them in the evenings and on weekends.

I guess I’ve just finally come to accept that God doesn’t have the same blueprint for every mother out there.

God knew what he was doing when he brought the two of you together. While women usually have the inclination as well as less earning power, in your case you have greater earning power. The great news is you DH is a caring and nuturing personality. You are 100% correct that your children are not suffering. I am glad you finally realized that and am sorry that us SAHM made it harder for you to come to peace with this.

God Bless,
Maria

 

[Michelle_in_KC]

MariaG:

God knew what he was doing when he brought the two of you together. While women usually have the inclination as well as less earning power, in your case you have greater earning power. The great news is you DH is a caring and nuturing personality. You are 100% correct that your children are not suffering. I am glad you finally realized that and am sorry that us SAHM made it harder for you to come to peace with this.

God Bless,
Maria

Thank you for your post. One thing, I don’t blame SAHM’s for my inability to deal with my situation. It was more my desire to be like so many of the SAHM’s I know. I looked at their beautiful families with many children all well-behaved and strong in their faith and all that stuff and I wanted that.

What I’ve realized is my husband has been doing a great job nurturing those qualities in our kids and I help out on the evenings and weekends and so far, our kids seem well-adjusted and our family has come a long way.

So anyway, I applaud SAHM’s. My feelings of inadequacy have to do with my own self-esteem and my own issues that I am dealing with to grow in my person. Four years ago, I was convinced that there was only way to be the “best” mom. Now, I realized that God’s plan for everyone is different and it’s better to try and heed His call rather than project what we want His call to be.

Anyway, thanks for your words. I do believe that God brought my DH and me together for lots of reasons, none the least of which the fact that our parenting styles and income potential are what they are.

 

[vluvski]

Beautiful story, Michelle.
Being rather opinionated and forcefully so, I often do not explain myself gracefully.
This is the type of vocational discernment I was thinking of. I don’t think it is or should be the norm, but it is certainly a worthy option for mothers whose vocation lies with a career.

 

[LSK]

What a wonderful bunch of posts! With few exceptions, the women here do not feel guilty about the choices they have made in their lives, nor do they believe women who have made different choices should be hung by their toes in the town square or branded with the lable “BAD MOTHER”.

The most recent study shows that children do better when raised by a mother rather than in full time day care, the exception being those who were raised by bad mothers, or mothers who were unable to function well due to disease or illness.

I was raised by a mother who had, by necessity, go back to work when I was 6 and my brother an infant. However, she was a full time, hands on Mom. No dating, always checked homework, put herself last and her kids and her home first. She kept a Catholic home, taught us how to love and serve the Lord. We had our moments, and I certainly have had a checkered life, but none of that was because my Mom had to go back to work because she was the only parent available to raise the children. If she had had her druthers, she would have prefered to have been a ‘sahm’.

I think the women on this forum show a wonderful and wide array of choices and opportunities…and the majority have taken the vocation of motherhood quite seriously as Catholic Christians should - you make me very proud to be an Obedient Daughter of the Holy Mother Church!

 

[mumto5]

~Jenn~:

Working moms are not evil. Daycares are not evil. Motherhood is not a job, it is a role in life that you choose when you opened yourself up to the idea of having children. I cringe everytime I see it put that being a sahm is the “hardest job in the world”. I did it for 22 months - it wasn’t a job, it wasn’t the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

I disagree about motherhood not being a job but can understand why would wouldn’t find it hard when you have a toddler and only one child at that. The preschool years are easy. I am homeschooling five children and plan all their curriculum from scratch myself. That is a job and being a mother is my job. As your child/ren get/s older you may appreciate why some call it the hardest job in the world. The issues get harder and less black and white, you have less control, you have to let your child go more and let them form ideas and make decisions you may disagree with, the heart-rending nature of the job is the hard part at times. I honestly can’t say I encountered any of this kind of hardness until the last year - my eldest is coming up to 13. The thing is, we have a great relationship compared to a lot of people and their young teens which I can at least be grateful for. My husband helps around the house as well as earns the money as he knows that I have my hands full doing my job of raising and teaching the children and can’t do everything. Until recently I even had paid help once every two weeks.

You sound like you have found a good balance. Good on you. No-one said that working mothers were evil, just that our experience of it meant we had chosen differently for our children. But don’t go running down motherhood as a job because with just one child who is only a toddler, you haven’t even begun to touch on motherhood yet. Even with three preschoolers my life was quiet and motherhood was much more straight-forward than it is now.

 

[migurl]

It’s not about being able to “pull it off”. It’s about what a person truly desires to do - and I, in the end, did not truly desire to sah full time. It had nothing to do with it being hard. It was about being true to myself. So roll your eyes all you want, but I will still maintain that it isn’t hard, it wasn’t hard for me, it just wasn’t something that I felt strongly called to do full time. Nothing to do with hard or easy.

ACtually it is hard, and I’ll tel you why. It isn’t about doing dishes or taking care of kids in the physical sense, it is about giving of yourself to others, ie your husband and your kids. I am not married and I have no kids, BUT I am the eldest of 5 (soon to be 6), I go to college, my parents both work and my siblings are homeschooled. It takes so much time! It is so hard to get MY work done, my chores, cook dinner (that isn’t microwaveable) help kids with their homework and whatever problems they may be having in life, take care of showers, my homework and still try to have time for myself and my fiance. I only have a few friends and I hardly ever talk to them because I have no time. My fiance and I don’t get to talk much because of it all. Now, I’m not miserable, because I do it out of love and I know this is my calling, but don’t insult it by saying it isn’t a job, because it is. It takes time and effort/work to keep a household functioning and to take care of kids and yourself. Things gets so nuts around here because things don’t get done until I get home (for the most part) When I get married next year, I plan to finish college adn after that I am done! I am going to be home so that when my hubby gets home from his very physical job, we can spend it together talking and eating dinner not me rushing arund trying to clean and throw a meal together. When my kids come around I will be there to take care of them. I’m going go out on a limb and say it is impossible to be a great mom and wife and be a great career woman. Why? because in order to be “great” one must pour 100% of themselves, their attention and effort and time into whatever it is and you can’t pour 100% into work and 100% into homelife. If you tried you would end up explodingn from all the stress! I feel that God has called me, and many others, to put my kids and husband first and myself second, just like Mary did. My “desire” (if I really had one) to have a career and time away from home to “be my own person” would be secondary to the needs of my family.

 

[Michelle_in_KC]

migurl:

ACtually it is hard, and I’ll tel you why. It isn’t about doing dishes or taking care of kids in the physical sense, it is about giving of yourself to others, ie your husband and your kids. I am not married and I have no kids, BUT I am the eldest of 5 (soon to be 6), I go to college, my parents both work and my siblings are homeschooled. It takes so much time! It is so hard to get MY work done, my chores, cook dinner (that isn’t microwaveable) help kids with their homework and whatever problems they may be having in life, take care of showers, my homework and still try to have time for myself and my fiance. I only have a few friends and I hardly ever talk to them because I have no time. My fiance and I don’t get to talk much because of it all. Now, I’m not miserable, because I do it out of love and I know this is my calling, but don’t insult it by saying it isn’t a job, because it is. It takes time and effort/work to keep a household functioning and to take care of kids and yourself. Things gets so nuts around here because things don’t get done until I get home (for the most part) When I get married next year, I plan to finish college adn after that I am done! I am going to be home so that when my hubby gets home from his very physical job, we can spend it together talking and eating dinner not me rushing arund trying to clean and throw a meal together. When my kids come around I will be there to take care of them. I’m going go out on a limb and say it is impossible to be a great mom and wife and be a great career woman. Why? because in order to be “great” one must pour 100% of themselves, their attention and effort and time into whatever it is and you can’t pour 100% into work and 100% into homelife. If you tried you would end up explodingn from all the stress! I feel that God has called me, and many others, to put my kids and husband first and myself second, just like Mary did. My “desire” (if I really had one) to have a career and time away from home to “be my own person” would be secondary to the needs of my family.

It sounds as though you have a great grasp on your calling. That is wonderful for you. Praise be to God that you have been able to discern all of that at such a young age. Not all of us are that fortunate and it isn’t always just because of two parents working.

Additionally, you’ll probably find as you meet other families and grow older that what is the best for your family isn’t necessarily the same for another family. As I mentioned before, my husband has been the primary care giver to our children so far. And, yes, i’ve had some sadness in coping with it and feeling like I am “less” of a mother or not GREAT, as you put it, but then when I step back and look at the situation of our family and how my DH and I complement each other’s abilities (not the norm for today’s society, I know) I realized that having my career IS part of what God called me to and resisting it has led to much unhappiness over the past four years.

I guess my point is…one shouldn’t “look down” on a family that does it a bit differently. I’m actually with vluski on the fact that my situation is probably NOWHERE near the norm, but it is out there and we are doing the best we can and I assure you, if I were the one home, our financial issues and stress would far outweigh having the mother home.

Again, it’s great that you know what you want are are willing to do what it takes to make it happen. It’s great that your husband will have a job that will support your family.

 

[MooCowSteph]

I tend to agree with vluvski, Carol Marie, and the others who are for SAHMs. I hope I don’t get attacked, but I do hold very strong views on this issue. I know there are plenty of women who work part or full-time outside the home out of necessity. That is fine. If you need to work in order to feed, shelter, and clothe your family, then what is what you need to do. My mom was one of them. But there are a lot of women out there in my experience who work because they want to, or more often work because they THINK they need to. They “need” to work because otherwise they couldn’t afford the new minivan, Baby Gap, weekly manicures, and a gym membership. This may sound cold, but I work with enough women with preschool-age children to know plenty of these women exist. These are the women who tend to think “as long as someone is caring for my child, does it really matter who?”. I disagree with that line of thinking.

Motherhood is a job, a vocation we are called to do to the best of our abilities, not just a role one plays for a short time. I strongly believe that if you think you are called to be a mother, then you should think strongly about making the sacrifices necessary to stay home and raise your children, at least until school age. Once we become mothers, we need to put our children’s needs ahead of our own (OK, not all the time, but a great deal of the time). And I strongly believe a child needs his mother there more than just a few hours a day. I recognize, however, that is a mom hates being home with her children, this is probably not the best environment to raise them in.

I think women in this country are so wrapped up in total happiness and fulfillment. When we choose to become mothers, I believe our purpose becomes to do what is best for our children. I may not always love being a stay at home mom. I may not feel fulfilled when I’m cleaning up baby vomit off the crib sheets, dealing with a grumpy toddler in the grocery store, or juggling bills so that I can be at home. But it’s what motherhood is about, IMO, making sacrifices for the ones we love.

I totally recognize that my position is closed-minded, and reading Michelle in KC’s posts, I realize this. Not everyone is cut out to be a SAHM. Some women need to be out in the working world to be happy. I need to work on accepting others choices more openly. I tend to be one of those people with strong opinions on many things, and one who hates to budge.

 

[kamz]

I ran into a “stay at home dad” in the grocery line last week, that was very refreshing, his wife is a doctor and he is a teacher, they have two little girls and both husband and wife wanted one of the parents to stay home with the children, it financially made more sense for dad to stay home right now, mom makes more and put in very long years to get to this point, she loves these kids just as much but she can provide much more for her family in the work place and this guy was great, just awesome, I have rarely run into a dad that stays home and he said, he does it all, housework, laundry, cooking, etc. and he takes the girls to the library and various other fun things and he LOVES it, his wife is happy because she knows that her kids are at home with a daddy that adores them and a husband who supports her too, I was just so wowed

 

[BLB_Oregon]

vluvski:

No, you’re right. You’re not going to change my mind. I do believe they’re selling out, in most cases.

Ummm… I meant that no one could come to you with statistics that priests have higher health risks than married men and use that as a reason to abandon the celibate priesthood.

Keep in mind that many of the women who log in here are not “most cases.” Yes, most people in most cases of everything are selling out to the world, the flesh, or the devil. That is the point of Christianity.

I’m not quarrelling with your desire to ask women to question whether they are giving proper priority to their vocation as a spouse and parent. That is a good thing. Jumping to the conclusion that essentially none of the working moms are doing anything other than selling out is where I differ.

I would also tag on that men should question whether they are giving proper priority to their vocations as a spouse and parent. I would ask businesses if they are asking their employees to misplace their priorities of spouse, parent, son or daughter in order to meet the ideal of what it means to be a “professional”, too. This isn’t all about the women.

 

[_Jenn]

mumto5:

I disagree about motherhood not being a job but can understand why would wouldn’t find it hard when you have a toddler and only one child at that. The preschool years are easy. I am homeschooling five children and plan all their curriculum from scratch myself. That is a job and being a mother is my job. As your child/ren get/s older you may appreciate why some call it the hardest job in the world. The issues get harder and less black and white, you have less control, you have to let your child go more and let them form ideas and make decisions you may disagree with, the heart-rending nature of the job is the hard part at times. I honestly can’t say I encountered any of this kind of hardness until the last year - my eldest is coming up to 13. The thing is, we have a great relationship compared to a lot of people and their young teens which I can at least be grateful for. My husband helps around the house as well as earns the money as he knows that I have my hands full doing my job of raising and teaching the children and can’t do everything. Until recently I even had paid help once every two weeks.

You sound like you have found a good balance. Good on you. No-one said that working mothers were evil, just that our experience of it meant we had chosen differently for our children. But don’t go running down motherhood as a job because with just one child who is only a toddler, you haven’t even begun to touch on motherhood yet. Even with three preschoolers my life was quiet and motherhood was much more straight-forward than it is now.

We will definitely agree to disagree. Because I do know that considering it the hardest job or not is different for everyone. I know SAHM’s of 5+ kids who agree with me. And I know SAHM’s of 1 child who disagree with me.

It’s all in how you view motherhood, in the end. I see it as something enjoyable, something to treasure, and not a job. I see it as not something that will be the hardest thing I’ll ever do in life, but something that will have its hardships over the years, just like anything else.

And yes - I only was a “full time” sah for 22 months, but that certainly doesn’t change my experiences, my ideas, or anything else I have enjoyed about being a mom.

In the end, it doesn’t matter whether a mom works (full or part time), or stays at home. It doesn’t matter whether dad works or not. What matters is that they raise their child to be an adult - one who will be self-sufficient, have high morals and values, and someone they can be proud of. And that all of it is done with love.

 

[_Jenn]

migurl:

ACtually it is hard, and I’ll tel you why. It isn’t about doing dishes or taking care of kids in the physical sense, it is about giving of yourself to others, ie your husband and your kids. I am not married and I have no kids, BUT I am the eldest of 5 (soon to be 6), I go to college, my parents both work and my siblings are homeschooled. It takes so much time! It is so hard to get MY work done, my chores, cook dinner (that isn’t microwaveable) help kids with their homework and whatever problems they may be having in life, take care of showers, my homework and still try to have time for myself and my fiance. I only have a few friends and I hardly ever talk to them because I have no time. My fiance and I don’t get to talk much because of it all. Now, I’m not miserable, because I do it out of love and I know this is my calling, but don’t insult it by saying it isn’t a job, because it is. It takes time and effort/work to keep a household functioning and to take care of kids and yourself. Things gets so nuts around here because things don’t get done until I get home (for the most part) When I get married next year, I plan to finish college adn after that I am done! I am going to be home so that when my hubby gets home from his very physical job, we can spend it together talking and eating dinner not me rushing arund trying to clean and throw a meal together. When my kids come around I will be there to take care of them. I’m going go out on a limb and say it is impossible to be a great mom and wife and be a great career woman. Why? because in order to be “great” one must pour 100% of themselves, their attention and effort and time into whatever it is and you can’t pour 100% into work and 100% into homelife. If you tried you would end up explodingn from all the stress! I feel that God has called me, and many others, to put my kids and husband first and myself second, just like Mary did. My “desire” (if I really had one) to have a career and time away from home to “be my own person” would be secondary to the needs of my family.

You’re right - it’s not about doing the dishes and housework. However, the majority of SAHMs I know personally, when they complain that it’s the hardest job, the housework and lack of help from their dh is exactly what they complain about.

It is more than possible to pour 100% into your career and 100% into your family. When I leave work and come home, work stays at work. Thankfully, I am in a field where I can do that - I realize that not everyone can. When I am home, it’s all about family - 100%+. My husband and child are top priority, regardless of my work status. And my dh would say the same of my and our child. There are no “crazy evenings” in our house, because before I returned to work, we sat and went over everything and how to handle the new schedule it would bring.

I just think it’s a great thing that people do have choices, and that there are those of us out there who have found that balance. What is truly sad, no matter which side you are on, are the people who will constantly talk down to the other ones.

All parents, whether they work or not, should be praised for doing what they do for their kids. People spend too much time on the negative, that they don’t see the positive effects. There are pro’s and con’s to being a sah(mom or dad), and pro’s and con’s to being a working parent. In the end, it’s all about what works for your individual family.

 

[kaymart]

~Jenn~:

All parents, whether they work or not, should be praised for doing what they do for their kids. People spend too much time on the negative, that they don’t see the positive effects. There are pro’s and con’s to being a sah(mom or dad), and pro’s and con’s to being a working parent. In the end, it’s all about what works for your individual family.

Exactly, Jenn! it is what works for your family. I been both working Mother (10 years) and Stay at home Mother.(past 17 years) I stopped working when my third child was born with disabilities and we felt I needed to be home with him. It was actually cost effective in the beginning, it cost far to much for proper child care for him. But I am very happy even today to be home with him 17 years later watching him grow little by little each day. And this is a harder job then I previously had (I was an LPN-worked evening and night shifts) but I am in no way complaining, especially since he’s been in a school full-time since age 6, I have lots of time to clean, prepare dinner, food shop, even relax a bit or whatever. My afternoons and early evenings are filled with his care and needs, he needs constant supervision. So to sum it up, like you said whatever works for you and your family that is important. There are so-called stay at home moms who’s only communication with their child is to tell them to shut up because they are on the phone or they plop the kid in front of the TV all day. Also working Moms who care more about her job and her needs more then the child, BUT they are the exception, and make it bad for the rest of us. Most Moms do what’s right for their children, whether they work outside the home or not.

 

[Cupofkindness]

I have to say that my response to this thread might be best illustrated by that scene from the musical “Fiddler on the Roof” where the village men are arguing around Tevye’s milk cart in the little town square. To one, Tevye says “You are right.” Then to another man with an opposing view point, Tevye says, “You are right.” Finally an older man says to Tevye, “Tevye they can’t both be right!!!” And Tevye says, You know, you are right too!"

 

[captaincatholic]

I am quite blest in finding myself in one of those careers/professions where I can be at home with the children 24/7 and still keep working.

I teach private music lessons from our home, so that when our first little one comes in a few months, I can cut back indefinitely until my husband and I feel we are ready to reinstate some of my private students. I don’t have to worry about the ‘normal’ costs of a second career, like another vehicle or a business wardrobe. I can teach lessons in my around-the-house dresses, take breast-feeding breaks during lessons as needed, and even possibly change diapers during lessons… although I might prefer to call a time-out for that!

Along with all that, I was even given the privelege of practicing this simultaneous childcare and work-- as the oldest of a large family, I was sometimes called upon to watch the younger portion of the family while I stayed home to teach lessons to my students there… My littlest brother still likes to be held on my hip as I play “Jingle Bells” on the violin-- he liked the bouncy ride!

I must admit, however, that we are quite blest in that we do not need my income at all. My wonderful husband is perfectly capable of providing for our family, thanks be to God for the wonderful talents and opportunities he has been given! My income might come in handy later, when we have more children, or when something comes up. In that event, I already have established a base from which to work: a home studio!