I am not sure how, but I would like living as a stay at home parent to be an easier option.
I make no steady income for my spouse, occasionally selling my jewelry or possessions is my way of helping.
My child is almost 2 years old and I want to be with them until PreK. To some it sounds ludicrous, for me it’s the lifestyle I always dreamed of. Already we are potty training, identifying colors, counting to 3, and more. The pediatrician is always blown away with how advanced they are. I truly believe it’s because how hard I work at this job.
I guess overall I think this lifestyle should be more affordable. This is a full time job and Im not willing to give it up, my child is my greatest accomplishment.
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As a stay at home mother it can be really hard not having an income unless I am selling my stuff or trying to find some type of side work. I would like to see a tax credit for stay at home parents! Our job is just as important and the best form of childcare, however living off of one income it can be challenging, so if stay at home parents could make a form of income to contribute to the household, that would be so beneficial!
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I agree. Staying at home also impacts Social Security, lots of years of “zero” income. It would be nice if the husband/partner could contribute more than the allotted annual amount of pre-tax social security towards the stay at home’s personal behalf.
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We live in CA. We lived on my husband’s income and raised four children. Sometimes we had only one car and we rarely went on vacation. We also homeschooled our children. Best decision we ever made. Was it easy? Not at all. We sacrificed a lot. In the end, it was worth it. Our kids are amazing. I finally realized material things aren’t as important as my children.
Growing up I was told stay at home moms were basically worthless. I now realize this was a lie and an evil one at that.
It’s crucial to have a stay at home parent for as long as possible. We need incentives to help bolster traditional families.
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Emma @Miss.dilemma, your story is one that echoes through many families today. The decision to be a stay-at-home parent is not only a commitment to our children but an investment in the future of our society. Yet, it’s disheartening that so many parents who wish to stay home with their kids feel financially strained, undervalued, or unsupported. Raising children, especially in the early years, is one of the most critical and impactful jobs there is. It deserves recognition, support, and, yes, a viable pathway for more families to choose it without financial sacrifice.
We often hear about ‘work-life balance,’ but what if we, as a society, shifted the conversation to ‘family-first living’? What if we created economic structures that didn’t force parents to choose between being present for their children and providing for their basic needs?
We need to rethink the narrative that being a stay-at-home parent is a luxury. It should be a respected, viable choice for any family that wishes to prioritize early childhood care and development. This isn’t about romanticizing the past; it’s about recognizing the unique, irreplaceable value that parents bring to raising their children. It’s about creating a future where raising the next generation is seen as a core societal pillar, not a personal financial sacrifice.
What would it take for us to get there? How can we collectively push for these changes? This is the start of a conversation, but it will take many voices to turn this vision into reality.
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By creating a wealthy economy and a living wage for workers we can reduce the burden on stay at home parents. It’s critical parents raise children rather than babysitters and institutions. This is how our children in their most formative years are instilled with their family values. If this were a norm for society we would be far better off for generations to come. Kids need their parents.
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The Government should give a big tax credit and accumulation of social security,also in case of a divorce the parent that stay at home is always disadvantages while the one who works has a career advanced most of the time.The benefit to have the kids raised by a parent is huge.I honestly think that that is part of the problem in America.
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Finding a good daycare is also becoming more and more difficult. A friend lost their first child the very first day the mother went back to work at an “at-home daycare” because they laid the baby down with a blanket and were taking care of too many kids.
I believe a stay-at-home parent is the most important job. Kids are the future and in a lot of situations, a parent taking care of them is what is best for them.
Making it more affordable would make it easier for parents to decide if one should be a stay-at-home parent.
The Government seems to encourage everyone to go to work with tax breaks for childcare. Stay at home parents should at least be able to utilize that tax break since they are the childcare!
Review the stay at home tax cut! I just gave it a vote.
I agree being an at home parent for 13 years destroyed my future SS, as it is very low. There needs to be a total re-haul of the system. We still need to take care of the elderly. There are different categories of elderly - those physically fit that just retire and enjoy their life with pensions and investments; those that work and stumble and are the working dead while the goal post to retirement moves from 65 to 67 to 70. Those people are so stressed they wont live as long as the boomers. The. There’s the sickly, frail elderly that need caring. They all have different needs. Some are still able to contribute to society.
Children should be taught to include these citizens in their families. Alot can be passed from generation to generation.
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I agree with you that having a stay at home parent is one of the best things for the children. It also relieves many burdens on society. I am just not sure what can be done as far as government policy that would help?
One of the goals in this administration is smaller government, which is good. How do we form policy that supports the family without overeach or cost to taxpayers? The tax credit idea sounds good.
Maybe form objectives that specify “support of the family unit” as core values, just as the previous administration adopted “DEI” as its core value. This would ensure that decision making in government agencies supports, or at least does not harm or undermine family units.
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