A Mother’s Choice

By Amy George

Amy George

Every working woman has a choice to make when she has a child. Keep working outside the home, or launch a new career as a stay-at-home.

First and foremost, let me say this: the decision to work outside the home or to become a stay-at-home mom is one of the most personal decisions a mother will ever make. In my opinion, there is no right or wrong answer. Every woman has different reasons for her decision. Nothing angers me more than mothers who snub their noses at other moms who choose a different path than they did. Some stay-at-home moms feel those who work outside the home are bad mothers, and some working moms feel those who stay home have no life. Neither of those is true.

I made the decision to go back to work after both of my daughters were born. Of course, that first day back at work was never easy. I missed my girls tremendously. But, once I got back into the swing of things, I was fine. I loved being part of the workforce and contributing something each day. I am so blessed to have had two careers that I truly loved: I was a news anchor at WHNT for 10 years, and then I was able to go to work full-time for Huntsville Hospital Foundation. At the Foundation, one of my duties was managing my daughter’s fund - the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund - which raises money for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children. I felt like I was a better mom because of the balance in my life.

But after Lily was born, that balance got a little trickier. Bringing home a second child changes the dynamics of your home and it soon became harder to balance both my job outside the home and my duties as a mom. I felt like a hamster on a wheel - running and running, but getting nowhere. Mornings at our house were so rushed. My kids didn’t have the luxury of sleeping in. I had to wake them up each morning, get them dressed, feed them breakfast and take them to daycare so I could get to work in time. The worst part was when they got sick. I was lucky that I had a boss at the Foundation who was very understanding and who allowed me to work from home when my kids got sick. But, sometimes I would have an important meeting that I just couldn’t miss. If I couldn’t stay home, I would try to work something out with my husband, Chris, where he came home for half of the day, but sometimes he couldn’t leave work either. Then, I would feel so guilty that my child was sick and I wasn’t taking care of her. I was her mother. This was what I was supposed to do, not someone else. Our lives were starting to feel like this out-of-control rollercoaster ride, and I wanted to get off.

I began praying about it, and I felt like God was telling me he wanted me to become a stay-at-home mom. I told Chris, who was surprised at first because he knew how much I loved my job. But once I explained my reasons, he completely understood. We prayed about it and talked about it over the course of a few months and came to the conclusion that this was what we needed to do.

I left my job at the Foundation in October and started staying home with my kids. I have never been happier. I have spent countless hours reading books to my kids, playing outside with them and just snuggling on the couch with them. Yes, I loved my career, but I have loved spending time with my girls even more.

Here’s an added bonus: the stress in our lives has been cut in half. Don’t get me wrong. Staying at home with small children can be stressful, but it’s not as stressful as what I was doing before by trying to meet the demands of working outside the home AND taking care of my family. If my kids wake up and want to stay in their pajamas all day – so be it. If they get sick, I don’t have to worry about who is going to take care of them. I am going to do it.

In no way am I saying that my choice is better than those mothers who continue to work outside the home. Every woman has her own reasons for the decision she makes in this matter, and I assure you, it’s not a decision that women make haphazardly. I don’t regret the three years that I worked after my kids were born. I truly believe that it was the right decision for our family during that time.

But, things change. And for this moment in time, the decision to stay at home is the right one for us. It doesn’t mean I won’t re-enter the workforce at some point. But for now, this is where I need to be.