Hellobee Boards

@MungBean: Congrats!

Congrats! After we had our daughter, I decided I wanted to stay home; after two long years of working towards this goal (and the birth of our second child!), I was finally able to quit my job permanently and become a full-time SAHM. This works with my larger career timeline, since I'm also about halfway through my Master's program. I hope, once I finish my Master's next summer, that I'll be able to work either part-time or at-home, so I can continue to spend more time with my kids and also start to get job experience in my new field. Eventually, once the kids get into school, I'll probably re-enter the workforce full-time.

I think my best advice is to a) give yourself plenty of time to adjust and b) treat your time at home like a job in itself. It took me a good 3 months to fully adjust to being home with both kids full-time, and for some of my mommy friends, it took even longer. It's a whole lifestyle change, so go easy on yourself if you think it's too difficult at first, or if you start questioning your decision. Give yourself time and with practice you'll start to discover whether being at home is the best choice for you. Also, treat being at home like a job; make connections and network with other SAH parents, make yourself goals to work towards, amd learn how to take breaks/take time away from just being a parent. The biggest thing I hear from my SAHM friends who want to return to work is that they're bored or they feel disconnected/lonely, so it's important to implement some safeguards before these things become issues.

Congrats! I'm so jealous!!!

Welcome and congrats! I too left a good job with excellent pay, so I feel you on the loss of income. 19 months in though, my son and I are having a blast and I am even thinking of staying at home until he's 3...original plan was to go back when he's 2.