Was/Is your Mum a SAHM or does she bring in a salary?

[Fairy Dust]

Some mothers enjoy going out to work, some have no choice as single parents, whilst others are happy at home bringing up their families.

My Mum chose to stay at home and raise her family.

 

[Christine]

My mom worked several jobs because she had to.

Then when I was older, she probably could have stayed home but that just wasn't her thing.

At age 63 she's still working and making more $$$$ than I am!!!!

 

[Bob Slydell]

My mom was and still is a Registered Nurse. She worked third shift when we were younger, taking a 1st shift job when my sister and I got old enough to be home in the afternoon by ourselves.

 

[NMAmy]

My mother worked until I was three but became a SAHM from the time my younger sister was born until she was in high school. She hated every minute of it but my dad talked her into it because he thought someone should be home with us girls.

She's really a person who needed the social stimulation of work and she became much happier once she started working again.

 

[JVL1018]

My mom was a SAHM until I was 13(brothers were 16 and 11).
She then started a job as a substitute teacher's asst. for a special ed. school for autistic children that was in the same town we lived and went to school in.
So she dropped us off at school on the way to work and was home before us, as they got out earlier.

I don't know how long after that she went from subbing to full time, because nothing really changed. She was always home when we were home, even though she had a full time job.
I picked other because she did both, stayed at home for years and then worked for years.

 

[crzyred]

i didn't know how to answer because, my mother stays at home however she does in-home childcare. so she stays home, yet has a job!

 

[Tybug]

My mother worked 2 jobs for as long as I can remember. Not by choice but by need...

 

[momrek06]

My mom was and still is a Registered Nurse. She worked third shift when we were younger, taking a 1st shift job when my sister and I got old enough to be home in the afternoon by ourselves.

My mom is 80yo (today) and a Registered Nurse. She went back to work after having all 5 kids and we were all in school and this was in the early '70's! Up until then she was a SAHM. I will say my mom was probably the FIRST on our street to go to work. Everyone else's mom was still at home. My mom loved nursing. She only just retired a few years ago as after she left the hospital scene she went on to work for the State doing nursing assessments of pts that were discharged from the hospitals in the county sort of like a "Visiting Nurse"!

My mom was an awesome NURSE!!

 

[KelNottAt]

My mom wanted to work but Dad's mentality was, "no wife of mine is gonna hold a job."

Eventually Mom talked him into "letting" her be the jr. high nurse's aide. Then, when we kids reached high school, she wanted something "more substantial." Dad said no.

Six months later, they separated. There were many, many other issues. (Not ALL Dad's fault.) But, the employment control-freak thing just made a sad - but somewhat tolerable - marriage miserable.

 

[hlbtimes2]

My mom was a working mother. She stayed at home with my brother and sister while my dad was in the Army. They were 5 and 6 when I was born. She stayed home with all of us until I was about 3. At that time we lived on a farm. During the winter she worked retail work to bring in money when farming doesnt. When I was about 9 my dad left us. Mom worked retail to support us 3 kids. Dad would sometimes go years without paying support. She worked until she was almost 60. She quit work when she was fighting breast cancer. That was almost 9 years ago. Now she babysits my children for me.

I'm a working mother. Cost of living here is too high to make it on a single income. I've been working part time for the last 6-7 years. I'm starting a new job later this month. It will be full time. My kids are now 5 and almost 9. I need the social interaction and am a better parent when I'm working. I'm happier, which makes it easier to be a good parent when I'm with my children.

 

[Conservative Hippie]

My mom stayed at home until my parents go divorced when I was 10. Then she had no choice and went back to work. She really has an inspiring story--she had been working on a physics degree in college before she got married, but ended up getting a psychology degree instead. So when my parents got divorced, she wanted to do something with science or math. She started cleaning houses to put her way through school, and discovered she really liked computers. She found a job at a software company who were willing to help her learn along the way. When I was in 9th grade she got a BS in computer science. She became a software engineer and started working on an MBA. Last year she became a certified Project Management Professional, and now works more on the business side. So from cleaning houses to project manager, my mom did pretty well!

 

[mickeyfan2]

Mine never ever earned a paycheck, not even as a teen. She did babysit for a short while.

 

[Kitty 34]

My mom was a teacher.

 

[mommasita]

My mother stayed home by force until my parents separated. She then worked doing the job she always dreamed off, and finished her degree at night....

She is 63 and still employed.

 

[castleview]

My mom's a teacher. She worked part time after I was born and stayed home after my sister was born since she couldn't find a job. (There was actually a time when a math teacher couldn't get a job!)

Anyway, she was a very bitter SAHM - my parent's marriage didn't help either. She went back to work when my sister started school full time. It was good that she was happier being back at work...but there were times I wished someone was home when I got home from school. What are you gonna do?

 

[Ciao Mickey]

Some mothers enjoy going out to work, some have no choice as single parents, whilst others are happy at home bringing up their families.

My Mum chose to stay at home and raise her family.

I think I was one of the original "latch-key kid" because my mother had to work full-time. Most of my friends had stay-at-home moms. (This was back in the 1950's.)

She always told me to marry a man who made a good living so I wouldn't have to work like she did. She hated not being home with us.

 

[DisneyPhD]

My mom got married and started having kids later (at least 40 years ago.) She was 30 when she got married, so she was a teacher and a social worker 1st (both jobs I have done.) She never went back to paid employment, but worked as a volunteer librarian for a church library when I was around 15 years old. (Ironically my father took early retirement at around this time, but he went back to school.

My DH's mother stayed at home too, but she was a nurses aid before getting married. Never went back to work.

I am at home now, I think I will go back to work though. We can afford for me to stay home instead of paying child care, but I should work when they get older and it won't cost $ for me to work (at least so we can get more DVC points. )

 

[Chicago526]

I put "other", really for my mom it was "all of the above". She was SAHM until I was 4, then got a part time job at night. At 5 she got a full time job, only it wasn't exactly full time. She worked for the high school, so she worked full time during the school year but had summers and school holiday's off (talk about the ideal job for a parent!). When I got to high school, she got a full time job that was really full time, and stayed there until she and Dad retired about 8 years later.

My brothers and I never minded that she worked. Her working payed for all the "extras" and "fun stuff", but even though she worked, both mom and dad made sure they were there for us, whenever we needed them. Life would have been a lot more uncomfortable had she not worked.

 

[CEDmom]

My mom is a retired teacher. She took off about 12 years when my older brothers and I were young. She substituted when I started kindergarten and went back full time when I was in 2nd grade.

In hindsight it was really good she did that because my dad passed away when I was in 3rd grade. Although they had ample life insurance it would have been tough to live on that for an extended period.

Having gone through that experience I chose to cut way back on my hours when DD was a baby. Now I work 4 days a week during school hours. I just can't imagine taking myself out of the job market completely.

 

[azgal81]

My mom worked at the school when my brother and I were growing up so she could have the same hours as us. Now that we are both grown she still works not at the school though.