Just a question.. Kevin and I were talking about this before. Which life do I want once we are settled and living together. Do I want to be a homemaker or a working woman? I was curious to what you like the best. In all I want to know the pros and cons of both...

I've done both, and I LOVE being a SAHM. Some women really don't do well staying home with the kids all day every day...I'm not one of those women :rofl I love it :) I've done the corporate 9-5 thing - made great money - and now I wouldn't trade being a SAHM for twice the paycheck I made at the office.

Well, i love being a homemaker/housewife/SAHM. But, i've never had a job so.....:dunno I don't know how it is to work outside of the home.

I love being home with my son and wouldn't want it any other way. With that being said, I stopped working a year ago and there are some downfalls. I miss the adult interaction. Also, there are planty of days where I am not stimulating my brain the way I did before. I miss those challenges. I miss having my own money too. Before I never needed money from my hubby. I could buy him gifts, go shopping for new shoes, whatever and I didn't have to worry about it. Now when I buy him gifts I feel like I am using his money.

All in all, for me it works to be home with my little man. Maybe when he gets old I will do some part time stuff- personal training or teach aerobics again. We'll see.

Im a SAHM now but I have worked since I was in HS. I just quit my job in Deceber. I nevered cared about the money. To me it was a way to pay the bills and not starve to death. Really I only miss the adult interaction I got everyday. Now its just me and the kids and what little time John gets to spend at home. I think if I didnt have kids I would definatly go to work. I think I would just be to bored at home alone all the time.

I'm not a mom, but I know for a fact it would kill me to be a housewife. I need the stimulation and the challenges that work provides. I am probably not going to be much of a stay-at-home mom either. But I will be figuring out a way to be able to spend more time with my children than I would if I worked all the time. A lot of my job can be done from my home provided that I have all the files I need. Barring that, I would be running a daycare. I like being able to bring in money to help with our home and having "my" own money.

Before I got married, I thought there was no way I would stay home-I was going to be a "career" woman and had my whole life planned out. After I got married while looking for a job at our new duty station, I found out I liked the satisfaction of cooking dinners and being a homemaker, and after that I couldn't stand working outside the home-even before I had my daughter. Completely shocked me.

I'd say you can't really decide until you try it. Some women I know can't stand being homemakers and have to get out and work even though they thought they'd love staying home....I think it's a very personal decision, the pros and cons different for everyone, and you need to look at your personality, interests, and needs to help you decide. But even considering all that and what everyone else tells you, you really need to try it both ways to decide if ur on the fence about the decision.

I'm a working mom. Although it's a nice paycheck, I would LOVE to be a stay at home mom. I feel like I miss out on alot with my kids because of my job. Hopefully in the next 5 years I will be able to become a stay at home mom.

it also involves what they were saying about "his" money/"your" money VS. "our" money.....there was another thread about this i think....some people dont like the feeling of just using "his money" while other people see it as both of yours once you're married, no matter who is making it.

In my case, I don't have any kids so for me I don't see any reason to stay home now. When I first moved up here I didn't work for a couple of months and I didn't really like it much. Probably now it probably be different cause I'm starting to really love cooking and all that stuffs. I've always work and I've always work a lot but we have spoke about this and come to the desicion that once we start having kids I will stay home with them. For now I keep working hard so we can buy the house we want :)

I did both--when we had our first two--I was AD Air Force, when my 2nd dd was born I got out, then I worked at hospitals and such until DH joined the navy and I decided I wanted to be with my babies all day. So that is what I do and what I love.

But tons of my friends work--well some of my friends. And it works for them. I think it just all depends on you and what you want to do!!!!
I hoe every thing everyone said helped.

I don't really love having a job, but I like making money and having something to do during the day. I'm just not housewife material. I clean and cook sometimes, but we can do that at night.

Well I ve always worked with animals before i got with my hubbie, and when i foundout i was prego with my 1st daughter. I worked at Animal ER. for the first part of my prego. Ive been a SAHM since then, I miss working with the animals and stuff but i would not change what im doing now for anything. i have two daughters that i see change and grow everyday. And I have thought of going back to work, and if i do it will be in the evenings again at the E.R. this summer. do what you want to do.

Being as though I do not have children I have never been a SAHM mom, but I dont think I ever will be.. it's just not the woman in me to be able to stay at home.. I dont think that after I have children I will want to work full-time but I do want to help contribute to my family. I like having "my" money. Thats just the way I feel, even though my husband and I are married , when I didnt work for a while when I moved here I felt horrible.. because I was doing anything to contribute. I think alot of this comes from I have worked since I was 14 years old and I just have that in me. But for some people being a SAHM mom is everything and that's wonderful... but I dont think it's going to be for me.

Thanks for all the responses. I'm thinking of doing what a lot of you have done. Work until I have kids. Have the leave, and see what I like when the maternity leave comes. In all, even if I don't choose to be a SAHM I will still have time to be with my family with my career choice. A CNA. Very Flexible hours.