Is It Ever Too Late To Become A Stay At Home Mom?

Once again it is late and I have run out of time and energy to write anything new. Here is a post I wrote answering a readers question.

I thought I would share these questions with everyone because I am sure that there are others who are wondering the same thing.

Reader Lisa asked,

"I wonder is it ever too late to become a SAHM?" and "Is it possible to give up high paying job and live on a teacher's salary?"

I think it is NEVER too late to become a SAHM. Our children need us no matter what their age. I am sure that you would love to be able to go on field trip, games, and other events with your children during their school age years and not have to worry about taking time off of work. I would refer you to Titus 2. I am sure many of you have already read it, but it only confirms that the Lord meant for the wife to be at home taking care of her family.

I know that many woman worry about the loss of income that would come with them quitting their job. I would advise you to take it to the Lord in prayer and trust him to take care of your finances. He has said that he will provide for all of our needs.

I can understand how busy a mom gets with her job and taking care of a family. My mother is the Facility Administrator for 3-4 dialysis units in our city. She is in her 60s and has know idea when she will be able to retire. She is stressed and tired. At her age this should not be the case.

I heard a preacher say once that husbands should do everything they can to support their wives being at home because asking her to work and take care of a household is literally slowly killing her due to increased stress and lack of rest. I realize that there are circumstances when a wife must work or her husband is not supportive of her decision. This is when I would again recommend prayer. Ask the Lord to soften your spouses heart. He sure did a number on my husband.

As to the question of being able to make it on a teacher's salary I can say first hand that YES you can. My husband is a teacher at a technical college. We are able to take care of our monthly bills and still have some money left for paying down debt.
The way we are able to do that is by the choices we make. Often times we are asked to go out to dinner or on vacation and we have to say no. We are sometimes looked down on, but we know that 10 years down the road we will be debt free, car payment free, and mortgage free, and our friends will still be in the same place they were.

In conclusion, remember that you can fulfill your dream of becoming a SAHM at any stage of you life and you can learn to live on one income. It is all a matter of where your priorities are. When your children are on their own are they going to remember the "stuff" you bought them or the quality time you spent with them.

I would love to hear back from you. Let me know how things are going on your journey. No matter what choice you make you have to do what is right for you and your family. Remember to take it to the Lord in prayer. He knows your heart.