I am a teacher and it is not easy to get a teaching job and it is at a school that I enjoy. It is a scary thought to quit and not be able to go back and have a job immediately.
Do you have the option to stay out a year or more and have your job "held" for you? If so, I'd suggest that you do that. If, at the end of the time period, you say, "Thanks, but I'm just not going to return", no harm done, but IF you decide you want (or need) to go back, the difficult-to-obtain job would still be yours.
Also, whether you quit or not, do whatever you need to do to keep your teaching license current. Like most professional licenses, it's easier to stay current than it is to reapply for a license in future years. And it's just common sense to BE ABLE to return to work, if you need or want to do so.
I don't know anyone who has regretted staying home with their kids.
I do. I know two women who are pretty vocal about it -- and for different reasons. One is my mom, and she had us kids in the late 60s /early 70s before divorce was so common. Like many women of her day, she had a houseful of children and expected that marriage was forever. When my dad left and never paid child support . . . ever, she found herself in a really bad situation. Her work skills were no longer current, and she couldn't afford day care for the younger children. She says now that the time she had with us at home was great, but it was in no way worth the price we paid in later years. From my viewpoint, having been the oldest child, I agree. The other woman is a friend of mine. She threw her whole life into her children -- did everything for them, always put herself second, and let the kids' needs come before her marriage. Now that they're out on their own, she's found herself with nothing left and she's a bit distant from her husband. She says she wishes she had something "of her own". I think she's a bit depressed. Also, her kids are uber-dependent and aren't particularly standing on their own two feet, but I'm not sure she sees that.
Both of these women could've managed their SAH situations a bit better and could've avoided these situations, but I don't think they're all that uncommon.
Now that I've reached the age that my friends and I are launching our kids out into the world, the women I see who are
really unhappy with whether they worked /stayed home are the ones who really didn't have a choice. I'm convinced that those of us who could've had either option are more satisfied with how our lives have turned out.
I wouldn't give up a good teaching job. As a PP said, it's the perfect job when you have children.
I have friends who have been trying to land teaching jobs for 6 years in our area.
Teaching has its pros and cons, but the schedule is definitely mom-friendly. It's also been a good match for my engineer husband's career. He makes more money, but he travels occasionally, and his job isn't particularly secure. I make less money, but my job is super-secure, and my pension is a big part of our retirement plan. I saved us lots of money in summer care over the years, and I've been very on top of all the kids' educational needs. However, it has its drawbacks too: Teachers bring home work every single night, and with small children it's not good to "be there" without "being available"; they have trouble with that. Also, it's difficult for teachers to be available for their kids' class parties and field trips on teaching days; we have to take the day off without pay AND pay the sub out of our own pocket.
No one should go into teaching
just because it's a good mom-job, but if you're the right person for the job, the big perk is the family-friendliness.
Those initial weeks of leaving your child in the care of others is tough. It does get easier . . .
You likely won't miss any milestones (if you're worried about that).
When our oldest was born, I had a hard time as the school year approached and it was time for me to go back to work. I'd think about "two more weeks left" . . . "our last Monday" . . . and so forth. My husband, who's always so smart about these things, gave me some good advice. He said, "Just go back and give it two months. If after that time, it isn't working out, quit then." Things went smoothly from the start. Yeah, we had sick days here and there that weren't fun, and I was tired, but it wasn't nearly as difficult as I'd feared.
As for missing milestones, I never quite saw the big deal. Is the second step all that different from the first step? Neither of my kids quite realized they were doing something new and unique, so it was really something that was special to ME, not them. Looking back, I can't quite remember all those firsts anyway. The delightful young women they have become completely overshadow the firsts that may've seemed so important at that point.
The point: I don't think fear of missing milestones is a reason to work or not work. You can't plan your whole life around a few days.
My only advice is to try and look at the whole picture without emotion, and think of the implications 10, 20, and 30 years from now.
This is good advice. We could easily have managed the house payment, groceries, and so forth when our kids were small . . . but now that they're teens, they're really expensive! Even though our kids aren't the type to demand expensive clothes, etc., the braces, the car insurance, and college are more expensive than day care was when they were small. I am very, very glad that we saved and are able to write a check for all the things our girls need. The world they'll be entering isn't as forgiving as ours was a couple decades ago, and I am so glad we're able to give them the gift of graduating from college debt-free.
The big point: Be sure to look at the big picture,
not just whether you can make ends meet today.
If you decide to do this make sure your husband has a substantial life insurance policy and a good disability insurance policy.
Excellent advice, but take it a step farther: All parents, whether they work or not, need life insurance. A dad whose SAHW dies suddenly will need to pay for the "services" she's been providing. He's suddenly going to need day care, perhaps house cleaning, and more.
Even worse: The real nightmare is the parent who becomes ill, needs expensive medical care, AND cannot provide either income or "services" to the family. It could happen to any of us, and the right answer is INSURANCE.
Our district has several co-teaching arrangements. The teachers alternate days, working 2 or 3 a week.
I only know of one teacher in our school who's done this, but she was very successful with it. Perhaps other mothers haven't pursued this option? I do know that her own mother /her husband's mother took turns babysitting; it might be that other teacher-moms didn't do this because they would've had to pay full-time day care. Anyway, now that her kids are both old enough for school, she's back working full time. She and I aren't close, but I think she was satisfied with her choice.
I became a SAHM out of necessity. My husband and I both had professional careers. He traveled a lot (still does) and I would have long and late hours as required to meet deadlines.
You definitely do have to consider your husband's job details (not just his salary) when you're making this decision. When our girls were small, our live ran smoothly EXCEPT when the kids were sick OR when my husband travelled. Fortunately, he didn't travel all that often, so the disruptions were not constant.
Changing the subject slightly, it's important to realize that no matter which way you choose, you will have BAD DAYS when you think you chose wrong. If you stay home, you'll have days when you feel like you haven't spoken to an adult in weeks and all you do is pick up toys. If you go to work, you'll have days when your professional needs and your family needs clash. Don't judge your decision by looking at these infrequent days. Look at your typical days.
I left my career to return working hands on with kids. (my background/degree involves working with kids) Now this was before the economy crash in 2008. My thinking as I left was-i can always find another job in my field. I have a degree, & i rocked at my job. I had glowing references & was connected in my field. now this simply isn't true. jobs are very hard to find, candidate pools are huge. Many mom's in the field - also left to find balance & now their kids are entering school & they can't find a job. 
