Going back to work after maternity leave (infant, support, parent)
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I work part time but sometimes with kids and activities now that they are in school it is almost too much to with a job.
We enjoy the extra income I provide for fun/non living expenses. It allows us to enjoy nicer vacations and weekend getaways without penny pinching. I don't know if I could be home full time. I enjoy the satisfaction of a job and the co-workers/adult time!!
There are many benefits to working other than just the income. Getting out of the house, getting to socialize with other adults, staying current in your field, etc.
There are also benefits to staying home, you just have to figure out what works best for you. If you're going to go crazy staying home, then go back to work even if you don't need the money...put it in your kid's college fund if you're feeling guilty about it
Staying home was not a financial option for me when our daughter was born, but even if it had been I most likely would have gone back to work anyway. As much as I loved my baby girl, being at home with her all day made me sort of crazy.
I have stayed home with our 2 children but due to logistics mainly. When we brought our 1st daughter home ( our. Children are internationally adopted) , we knew we were moving shortly after, so I left my job of almost 15 years. Very difficult to do, but
It was the best timing with my husband's relocation, going to a new area, and me having to look for a new job w/ an infant , it would have been a little much to handle. So, I chose to stay home.
There are days that I admit, I wish I had not stopped working. I have loved being here for my kids, but somewhere in these years, I have lost a bit of myself. Truth be told too, although I am extremely grateful my husband earns what he does, the extra income these days, would be helpful. Saving for college, soon to be ortho bills for our oldest,etc...
Unfortunately, it is a little difficult to find a job that enables me the hours I would need. We live too close to our school, so no bus service, I need to be able to get them there & pick them up. My husband is gone about 2.5 weeks out of each month and I have no family support around. I worry about if I would have the flexibility to leave work if they were sick,etc... The same concerns every parent has.
So, I guess if I had a crystal ball back then (10 yrs ago), I would have chosen to work, part time......
I didn't go back to work, but I am of an earlier generation. 100k does not go as far in many places as it once did. Marriages seem more unstable now, women are looked down upon for being stay at home moms, and stay at home wives. So there is a lot of social as well as financial pressure for a woman to work after maternity leave. My DIL and my daughter are both stay at home moms, but I think they will go back to work when the kids are older.
I'm glad I got to stay home, but it isn't for everyone.
Lets not focus on 100k. Hence the "(enough to support household on one income)". I live in a suburb of DC, I am well aware 100k is not enough money to support a family.
Whose husbands make 100+k a year (or enough to support a household on one income), still went back to work after their maternity leave?
I went back to work after all three of my maternity leaves. My husband made more than $100K at the time. Eventually I left the work force but it was a lifestyle choice, not a monetary decision.
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