Pros and Cons of being a Homemaker

I don't think I would've thought of setting up a table for homemakers at a career day, but now that you mention it, it's a great idea.

Here are the things I can think of off the top of my head:

Pros:
Taking care of your family and children yourself, the way you'd like it done, and getting to know and enjoy them
(Corollary: No or lower childcare bills)
A person minding the home can keep on top of things so a working spouse doesn't have to worry about them
Errands can be run during off hours
Self-direction and flexibility

Cons:
Self-direction and flexibility! (With few outside deadlines, it can be easy to procrastinate or let tasks take all day.)
Possible social isolation (unless you take steps to get out and be involved)
Possible disdain/disinterest of others (it can be hard to answer the question "so what do you do?" at a party or join in conversations about work)

Have a look around the rest of the site, too, if you haven't already. There are a lot of good articles. Good luck!

The only con in this household is that lack of one income. But the fact that with childcare and price of fuel these days, I would owe money to work, so it's offset there.

Then again, I'm prejudice. LOL! I love staying at home and raising my kids myself. So worth any sacrifice!

Some Cons:
Some people may not respect what you do or assume that you aren't smart/ambitious enough for work outside the some.
You are on duty 24/7
The work is often tiring in a way that non-homemakers can't understand. (Like husbands!)

Pros:
Usually a more peaceful homelife. (Bet you'd get lots of guff for suggesting this one!)
More direct control over how your children are raised.
Opportunity to make healthier foods (healthy foods can't be pulled together in 15 minutes between work and socccer!) Notice I say *opportunity*
More direct control over how you spend your own time (well, to some extent . . . )

Shaun
www.homeschoolblogger.com/shaunms

Some cons:

If you fall on financial hard times, it can be difficult to get back into the paying workforce quickly after being out of it for a number of years.

You may not get as many verbal pats on the back as you are used to (I've never worked in a paying place where I got a lot of those, but I hear some people do and I can see where it would feel frustrating to lose those as a homemaker).

Some pros:

The flexibility of "moonlighting" in an at-home business.

Depending on the partner's job, may be better off financially because of reduced taxes and expenses.

PROS:
Once I actually get my schedule organized (I try to run the place like I ran my office, it helps keep things done--but of course with a little more love!!) I find I have time to explore ME more. I read books I WANT to read, I learn different gardening methods, I cook much more elaborately than I could before, I have time to call and/or write those I love much more often, I remember more birthdays, my husband gets more support & therefore our home is more peaceful. Of course, this all actually depends on me doing my "job" of home maker.

CONS: There are days when I'm less patient with my children than I'd like to be, and I find myself taking my kids for granted a wee bit more (when I worked, I'd look forward to seeing them, now there are days I can't wait for them to fall asleep). BUT, I'm getting better.

Things don't always get done at home, resulting in the "What did you do all day?" question, even if I'm pooped from being a referee (when kids argue--more bonks usually due to young age), or putting up with tantrums.

I've got longer lists for pro & con, but no more time to write, as my children require my help at the moment. Best wishes with the booth!!!

Thank you all so much for your comments! Not only have you given me some "wording" to use, but I feel like there are others out there who share my thoughts and feelings. I've been to other stay at home moms sites and homemaker sites in the past, but never really felt compelled to spend the time re-visiting them. I found this site over the weekend and it has been wonderful.

I wanted to let you all know that my booth at Career Day was well taken. Many kids stopped and aksed me questions because they had a form they had to complete with questions for more than just one booth,(or career). The questions I got the most were 1. What are your responsibilities? 2. What are your hours? 3. Were you a top student in school? 4. What is your favorite part of your job? 5. What is your least favorite part of your job? 6. Do you set goals? These were easy to answer, but giving them my responsibilities in one sentence was difficult!There were a couple of gilrs who were interested and ironically they had mom's who were homemakers! I also got a positive response from the other(career)participants. They all thought it was a great idea. Thank you all again for your responses and help. It gave me an extra boost of confidence that day.
Tamara

It's great to hear how things went. Glad it was a success!

Shaun
www.homeschoolblogger.com/shaunms

Very cool Tamara! It was fun to hear about this. Please join us again.
Andrea

I believe the single most difficult problem facing families today is the issue of finances. Unfortunately our economy is not friendly to one income families unless that income is rather exceptional. The costs of housing, transportation, education, to name a few, presuppose at least a high five figure to low six figure total household income. Our society does not give enough deference to the time commitment that is required to run a household and raise a family. We apparently value corporate “productivity” more highly. Has anyone out there noticed how involved we are nevertheless expected to be with our children's education and how many school functions there are? And, what about all of their extra-curricular activities? For these and many, many other reasons it is very important that both spouses have time to commit to their family and also be able to earn enough money to help their children and themselves now and in the future.

To accomplish that goal, we need to re-orient how money is earned, invested, taxed and inherited so that we can have a more democratic distribution of wealth. We can and should have the time to commit to our family and provide for its current and long term financial well-being. It is ridiculous that any family must take a “vow of poverty” to do what they believe is in their family’s best interest. In the long run many couples are essentially sacrificing their retirement for their children, and no one should have to do that. What’s ironic is that by not earning enough money now many parents will not be able to help their children in the way they would like when those children are in college and when they are adults – let alone helping grand children.