To become a stay at home parent

[stormy11]

So I am currently deciding whether to go back to work or not and would like to know what you would do if you were in my position.

I am having a year off for my mat leave, I have been thinking about not returning to work after. This is mostly because I earn very little and childcare would take all my wages and the rest would be taken up for fuel as it is a 45min commute. My job is not a career I can grow in and is very stressful with poor pay.

I have a few options available:

1, DH and I have been thinking i could set up my own this business - this will take up a lot of work and time, but this is my absolute dream and would love to do it. I know there is a big chance it might not work out but you never know unless you try right? And we agree this is the best time to do it. ( I dont want to say what the business will be in case it is outing).

2, leave my current job and look for work hours that will fit around our family and closer to home so i dont have such high fuel costs- this could take along while to achieve especially with what is going on at the moment. I would be happy to do this.

3, go back to work and work for nothing and probably won't have time to follow my dream as I would want to spend time with my family.

I know childcare is a shared cost but we see our money as joint so won't be gaining anything. I hope I have covered everything and not dripfeed. I don't think want to be a SAHM because I think i need something for myself and want to be financially independent.

Depending on your business ideas, would you need to pay for childcare whilst being at risk of no income? How safe is the industry through recessions? And how secure is dh's job? If he loses his then your income becomes very important (and he can cover costs whilst you work)

If you have a recession-resistant job I would go back to work, get all the tax free and then free childcare you can.

IMO no one gains anything working for nothing especially your child. You may as well try option one.

I agree with MinesAPintOfTea.....consider your husbands job security their are more redundancies ahead. Being self employed is not easy no time off long hours no sick pay often no holiday especially in the first few years and in a recession.

My fully breastfed 9months old baby won't eat any solid food though she's peeing and pooing almost everyday and sometimes 2 -3times a day . Should I be worried?

I have my own small business, and the flexibility is amazing. But it is hard work, and not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Working for someone else is not mine though, so I’m doing what works for me, and hopefully in turn that will be the best thing for my daughter too! I can highly recommend a network called ‘Doing it For The Kids’ - they have a blog, podcast and really supportive Facebook group. You’d get good advice there from people who have been in similar situations. Good luck making the decision!