You want to quit your job to be home with your kids, but at the same time, it’s a huge decision.
Can I really make enough money?
Is it crazy to leave my career to do this?
What will people think of me when I went through all of this schooling only to quit and be home with my kids and have an online business?
All of these fears and doubts can stop you from doing what you know God is calling you to do. So today, I want to ease some of your concerns by shifting your perspective a bit.
Instead of focusing on the decision affecting where you are right now, focus on what you could be missing out on if you don’t do this.
Why I Have Zero Regrets Leaving My Scientific Career to Be A Stay at Home Mom
When I got pregnant with my son in 2015, it surprised me that the idea of becoming a stay-at-home mom (with a side hustle of course) was even crossing my mind. I NEVER thought I would be even remotely interested in that option. I was convinced that I was going to be a working mom. After all, I was passionate about working and contributing financially to my family.
It took me 3 years to work up the courage to finally quit my job. The fear, shame, and doubt were so strong that I almost didn’t do it, but I just knew it was what I needed to do.
So with a small online business (I started with selling things on eBay) and a little bit of savings, I left my career behind to be home with my then 2-year-old son.
Three years after quitting my job, my son started kindergarten. I did it. I stayed home with him through all of those little toddler and preschool years.
As big milestones often do, I started thinking about how scared I had been to quit in the first place and realized that I have zero regrets for doing that. I couldn’t even imagine not spending these 3 precious years with my baby boy.
Then I thought about all the moms out there that are still in their careers feeling trapped. Feeling like there’s no way that they can be home with their kids.
But there is a way.
You do have the option.
And sometimes, even though you know that you can make money online, it’s still a really scary decision.
So I want to share 5 big benefits of quitting my job to be a stay-at-home mom. Most of these were things that I didn’t even anticipate. As you read through these, think about it in terms of your own life and the potential blessings and experiences God has in store for you if you follow Him in obedience.
I go into more detail about each one of these and give more encouragement on the podcast episode this came from.
Benefit #1: Being a mother in a whole new way
I knew before that I wanted to be home with my son and to spend more time with him, but I really wasn’t aware of how lacking our relationship really was. Being home allowed me to bond and connect with him and develop my own identity as a mother.
You already love the time you have with your kids. Imagine what it will be like if you add 20-40 hours a week to that. Who knows what that relationship could look like and what God intends for it.
Benefit #2: Learning to slow down and enjoy each day and relax
As a career woman and especially in the world of science, there is a culture of hustle and bustle. As a postdoc, it wasn’t uncommon to work 70+ hours a week without a day off. Even though I pivoted to science outreach and education when I got pregnant, it was hard to shake the belief that I needed to work as much as possible to equal success.
Being home with my son allowed me to really learn to just slow down, enjoy the days and even the moments, and relax. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Even though you love your kids and want to be with them, another reason you might want to quit your job is simply that you’re tired of the hustle and that’s ok too. This means less stress and that means being a better mom, wife, and human.
Benefit #3: Learning about mindfulness as a mother and entrepreneur
My whole life I thought I was the queen of multitasking (of course we all know that multitasking isn’t really a thing and is actually just being distracted). When I quit my job to be home, this didn’t change. But I quickly learned that if I was thinking about my business and all the things I needed to get done, then I was less patient and less present with my son. So I learned to practice mindfulness and give my full attention to whatever task I was doing.
Benefit #4: Having time freedom
This was one of the biggest reasons I quit my job in the first place. I wanted to be able to choose what I did with my time. And I did.
When we wanted to go to the park in the middle of the day on a Wednesday, we did. If we wanted to travel to see family at the beach midweek instead of having to do the weekend when everyone and their mom is there, we did. If we wanted to go on a 2-hour nature walk because we didn’t have anywhere else to be, we did.
These led to so many memories that I will cherish forever of our time together.
Benefit #5: Not missing family events, birthday parties, teaching him to ride a bike, showing him how to fish etc.
You know that really crappy feeling when you hear that your child took their first step at the daycare? I didn’t want to hear that I’d missed more “firsts”. I was tired of missing milestones and family events because I “had” to work.
By being home, we were able to go to all of the family events. I could take the time to teach him to ride his bike. Another big one was teaching him about Jesus. Because we were spending so much time together, I could weave Bible stories into our daily life and remind him of God’s love for him in whatever we were doing. When he was in a daycare, I couldn’t control any of that.
Too Many Benefits to Count
These were just 5 major ones, but there are so many more amazing things that happened and I can’t even imagine where I’d be or who I would be if I hadn’t made this one important decision 3 years ago.
These may be kind of specific to me and my situation, but these are things that I didn’t even realize were going to come from being at home with him. In my mind, it was simply “I’m going to see him more” but what that “more” looked like was a surprise to me. And even though I had him in a mom’s day out 2-3 days a week, I still saw him an extra 30 hours a week over what I would have if I was working a 9-5.
This Isn’t Mean To Shame Or Condemn
Now, this isn’t meant to condemn any mom that works a 9-5.
Of course not.
BUT this IS to get you thinking about the blessings and experiences you’re missing out on each and every day that you aren’t following God’s call on your life to work from home.
Be careful here not to let yourself feel shame though.
Shame and condemnation aren’t from God. The conviction you feel that yeah you know you should follow God and trust Him with your life…that is to get you taking action. To say “Ok God. I hear you and I want to follow you.”
But the shame actually comes in and tries to stop you from ever doing the thing God actually wants you to do.
If you’re finding yourself in a place where you really want to quit your job, but the fear and worry about the unknown and making such a drastic change is just too much, then book a free breakthrough session with me. I would love to help you work through some of those fears to help you start leaning in the right direction.
Final Thoughts
If you’re feeling like God is calling you to be home with your kids but fear is getting in the way, then I hope this encourages you today.
Think about the blessings on the other side of saying “yes” to what God is asking you to do.
The relationship with your kids, the growth of your faith, breaking free from the career rat race, and so much more.
In 3 years are you going to regret not quitting your job when you wanted and experiencing all of those moments with your kids or are you going to be reminiscing on all of the amazing things that have happened since you took that step of faith and decided to follow where God was leading you?
