DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: After our second baby was born last fall my husband and I looked at finances and the cost of childcare and figured it would not be hard for us to get by on his salary and my picking up some research work from the law firm I’d been with for the past several years.
After nearly a year at home with the kids, I still feel guilty about not making much money, and I always get the feeling that my still working friends look down on me. I am beginning to think I was wrong in leaving my job. Was I? --- ANTSIE AT HOME
DEAR ANTSIE: Staying home with the kids ─ especially a new baby ─ IS work.
You crunched the numbers, took the plunge, and now you need to give the still relatively new lifestyle a chance.
Think of the transitions you’ve already gone through ─ leaving home, entering the workforce, getting married, having babies. These have all been big steps you’ve experienced and survived. Fulltime parenthood is another of those life changes that will take time to adjust to.
If you haven’t already started yet, make sure you spend time with other young stay-at-home parents and their kids. Being with people in the same boat can make all the difference in the world for both you and your children.