To feel disheartened over daughter's decision to become a housewife

[user1495062634]

Before you jump on me, please read below.

My daughter (aged 24) is a recently qualified midwife, and has been in her new London job for a couple of months. Recently, she informed me she is planning to leave her career behind, as they are trying for a baby, and her ultimate ambition is to become a housewife/stay at home mum. Admittedly, her and her new husband are financially well-off, and so she doesn't have the financial incentive to work.

It's all so clear to her, but so, so muggy for me. I can't get my head around it and feel so disappointed. After 3 years of gruelling training at university, landing a London hospital job and beginning to move up the ranks, I just can't understand how she can give it all up so easily. This also isn't a job she can easily pick back up where she left, after so many years of not practising she will have to go back and retrain, if that's what she decided to do.

This doesn't come as a complete shock - she has always dreamt of being a housewife/SAHM, ever since being a teenager - but I'm astounded she's really going ahead with it now.

I have not yet spoken to her about how I truly feel, and my plan is to await responses on here before deciding on whether to do that, and how to say it.

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

I can understand your concern OP because I would worry about my children (ds as well as dd) completely giving up their chosen career, particularly one which involves keeping professional registration and training up to date. BUT ultimately she's an adult and you should keep your views to yourself and not let her pick up on your feelings.

She may change her mind anyway... life throws curve balls. I always imagined I'd want to keep my career going; then when I had dd I could quite happily have jacked it in and stayed home 24/7, that was the strength of my emotional response. However we needed my income so I actually returned to work 3 Days a week when she was 3 months old.... and never looked back! Realising that dh and I could manage work and parenting effectively gave me a huge confidence boost. There are rewarding aspects of being at home and being at work, and whatever your dd says right now could all change in future anyway