A Controversial Decision in a Marriage, Part 2

So what was the counter-cultural decision that my wife and I made over two years ago which strikes such astonishment into the hearts of those who find out? It was our decision for my wife to stay at home with our two children.

People are almost offended when they find out- as if we are living in sin for not obeying the rules of culture. People say things like,” how can you afford…?” Usually the answer is,”we can’t.” We make sacrifices in order to have our kids raised by the one person they should be; their mom. We may not have a big house, two cars, or as many night’s out as the typical two income family, but we do have our kids at home with their mother. And that’s worth every sacrifice.

Now I don’t want to belittle or condemn for a minute the moms out there who work. Some of you do not have a choice and some of you simply may not be the stay at home type and for that you and your children’s lives may be better off.

But I do think that in almost all cases, moms staying home to raise their children is ideal. While I don’t believe it’s a Biblical command for mothers, I do believe it’s God’s plan for them and the precident set in Scripture.

And the amazing thing about our decision is that God keeps providing for us, often times giving us extra money to be able to do the things other two income families are doing. I believe that is attributed to is doing his will, part of which is keeping our children at home with their mom. It’s what’s best for us.

One final thing to consider is that often times having a mother work is no benefit to a family at all. After the expenses of childcare, transporatation, wardrobe, food, and higher tax bracket, working-mother-families can have a difficult time getting ahead at all. When you put it on paper you may only be making several hundreds of dollars more per month to miss some of the most important stages of your child’s life. Is that worth it to you?

So if you are a mom, soon to be mom, or considering becoming a mom, prayerfully consider what God would have you do in regards to raising your children. And whichever way He leads you, if you remain faithful, He will provide.

One Responseto “A Controversial Decision in a Marriage, Part 2”

1. Susan trask says:

   April 9, 2010 at 11:58 am

   I (of corse) agree with this full heartedly! I’m so glad that I get to see every crazy thing my kids do! I’ll miss them when they are in school full time. I’m not the homeschool type mom.