Taking the big step to be a stay at home mom (SAHM) isn’t easy. However, once you are there things don’t get any easier. Actually, many moms including myself question if they made the right decision because it’s so hard. But don’t despair, there are tons of benefits of stay at home moms.
This post is for those who believe that the world of a stay at home mom is only beneficial for whiny, needy, tiny humans while mom gets no compensation or encouragement. I agree, on the surface, it looks (and feels) that way, but there is more.
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Searching for Benefits of Stay at Home Mom
Choosing to be a stay at home mom means there will be times of isolation from others, while your hands are full of kids. You will feel sad and, yes, a bit bored at times.
However, I do have some good news that will help. It may seem like only bits of hope but remember bits add up.
When my first baby was born I soon realized I wasn’t an independent white-collar worker anymore. Then I became lonely, and bored with the monotony of baby, house cleaning, baby, cooking, and Facebook (did I mention baby!?).
So I went searching online for the advantages of stay at home moms. I am so thankful for what I found. I soon began to realize that I was just focusing on the wrong things.
I was so allowing myself to be consumed with trying to be the perfect mom (Pinterest anyone?) instead of realizing that I didn’t have to be a so-called perfect mom or a good mom.
I was already an awesome mom! You are too!
You’d be surprised to know that at the time when I found out these benefits of being a SAHM, I considered them just drops in the bucket. I was going through some tough stuff that was beginning to make me bitter. Enough stuff that I was barely satisfied with things that others would gladly trade lives with me for.
So keep in mind, if you are that struggling mom, there are blessings in being a SAHM even if you are having a hard time. There are pros to being a stay at home mom even if you have no vehicle and have to walk or ride the bus or…stay home a lot. There are benefits to being at home even if you literally have no one helping you besides your husband.
I am sharing these ideas to give you hope for the next day, or even the next hour.
25 Benefits of Stay at Home Moms
If you ever needed a reason to become a stay at home mom, here are 25
1. Milestones
Being home to see all the “firsts” that my husband misses and grandma always asks about. Isn’t it great to see your baby’s first step, hear that first word or the first time baby can build blocks alone?
2. Fewer People equals Less Stress
Driving during the day means less traffic and shorter lines. That says it all.
3. Avoiding Storms
I don’t have to worry about driving in the winter weather as much. It seems, at least in my locale, that the worse of the winter storms come early or late, not mid-day.
It’s really interesting watching the news forecasters while seeing my husband have to go out in it or come home in it. While being a stay at home mom I can simply choose to go mid-day or go another day.
4. Breastfed Baby
The ease of breastfeeding is another benefit of stay at home moms. I honestly don’t think I would have even attempted to breastfeed if I had a 9-5. However, the choice was made available to me because of my SAHM status.
5. Opting out of Daycare
The nice thing about being home, rather it’s being a work at home mom or stay at home mom, is that you don’t have to pay those high prices of a day care, unless you choose to. Kids tend to get sick more when in a daycare environment, so less stress for you when they get sick but also you don’t have to worry about getting off from work or where your kids will go when they are too sick to go.
6. Strong Values and Strong Family Culture
I can teach my children about God and the values I keep, without much interruption from the outside world. This one is HUGE! You virtually have the full influence upon your child from the womb.
You can pretty much control how much or if they watch tv, or you can just do videos. For a long time we didn’t watch tv at all. I hand-picked their videos and they didn’t even know what ads or commercials were.
You can pick the books, the type of books, their schedule and even their friends (by choosing which playdates you schedule).
If they were in daycare or preschool they would become friends with whoever they were around, if you approved of it or not.
Of course the older they become the less influence you have, regardless of if you continue to be a stay at home mom or even if you homeschool them. If you start early you can instill good values that stay with them as they become old enough to make their own choices.
7. Time Travel
Haha, ok not sci-fi, but the availability to go places with your kids any time of the day or year. I can take my kids to the park, library or the pool anytime we feel like it.
This is an advantage if you either can walk to those places or have a vehicle at your disposal. There was a time we lived in an apartment and my dear husband had the car. So, no, this wasn’t an advantage for me at that time. Now, however, this is a blessing. We try to take advantage of the park and library year-round.
Also, it makes taking vacations much simpler. We can travel when hubby has a vacation and not have to worry about matching up vacation days in order to have family time.
8. More Money
Being a SAHM does come with less income (unless you work from home). However, depending on your situation there are financial benefits of being stay at home moms. Not only with opting out of daycare, as mentioned earlier, but also all of the expenses with going out to work daily, like paying for lunch, work clothes and gas.
9. Better Nutrition
Another benefit of being a stay at home mom is that I am able to take the time to prepare meals. Now, this may not seem like something to be desired but for many it is.
My firstborn had several allergies (among other things) and to think of what may have happened if he was in a daycare setting is scary. Not only that but my dear husband had food intolerances and ADHD. It was a good thing I could stay home and cook foods from scratch and do other things like making yogurt or Kombucha for the good probiotics.
By the way, eating like this for a few years has led to my dear husband’s increased mental capacity, a lot less forgetfulness and my son now only has one mild food allergy. If you are interested in knowing how you can purchase this book. Best money I ever spent!
10. Sick Days are Better
Being there for them when they get sick or when they get sick at school and have to be picked up. Super convenient and less stressful when you know your child is sick, plus figuring out who can be with them until you can.
11. Better Sick Days for Mom
As an extension of the last point, kids aren’t the only ones who get sick. What happens when mom is sick or extremely worn down? I cannot speak for working moms, but for me being a sahm, I can 100% stand behind better sick days for moms at home. It is also less stress, (which equals faster recovery) because you don’t have to worry about calling off or going back to a pile of work.
12. Slow Living
You may or may not be a fan of the minimalistic and slow living movements of late. However, you cannot deny the benefits of these life styles which bring us back to the early days of America. The lack of television, computers and texting allowed for more concentrated thinking, family-focus and less stress. When you are a SAHM you actually can create a world for you and your family that allows for the benefits of slow living.
13. Childhood Memories
Greatly influencing your kids’ childhood memories is an irreplaceable benefit of being a stay at home mom. Along with slow living, you can also create memories that your kids will never forget – further shaping their lives now and later.
Taking the kids weekly to get ice cream or having afternoons learning how to sew, coloring with mom or special mornings reading in bed until 9 am. One thing my kids remember is having tea time in the afternoons while listening to classical music and mommy reading from books like Peter Rabbit.
14. Safety from Strangers
Another advantage is not worrying about who will take care of them when I can’t. Trigger warning before I continue with this point because some people are highly sensitive to children in danger. If that’s you, skip to the next point. Just keep in mind that when you have to leave your baby with a babysitters, perhaps even a new one because your old one quit, it leaves the door open for unsafe things to happen.
You never know what a person might say or do around or TO my kids. Not that you never will get a babysitter. Even as a sahm who wants to be around her kids, sometimes you may have to or even want to leave your kids in someone elses care for a time. When this does come up, however, as a stay at home mom, you usually have more flexibility and control over who, when, how and what the situation will look like. You can be more prepared than if you have to quickly choose because you need someone today!
15. Consistency in Parenting
Going along with the last point, by staying home, you are able to benefit the whole child and ease parental tension. If someone else is watching your kids all the time how can you possibly guaranteed consistent discipline.
In order to grab your child’s heart early, there needs to be the consistency of ideas placed before them. Discipling a child and shaping their behavior takes time, daily.
16. Stable Home Environment
By staying home, not only is there consistency in discipline, but also in the home environment. My kids don’t have to worry about coming home to an empty house, or that if something happens that no one is there for them.
As your kids grow, you don’t necessarily have to go back to work. School-aged kids still benefit from parents at home, particularly afterschool. By mid-to-upper elementary I was coming home to a house without adult supervision and it joys my heart that so far none of my kids have to worry about that.
That should comfort you that you are bringing stability and fullness into your child’s life that cannot be replaced.
17. Awareness of School Activities
Yes, being the soccer mom is great but I am talking more seriously. Even starting in preschool there may be situations your child is mandated to be apart of.
However, we are talking about the benefits of being a stay at home mom to older kids.
Schools nowadays have so much going on from classroom needs to cultural obligations and moral stances. You will do much better to defend, opt-out, and opt-in to the going-ons in your child’s school and who (or what) your child is engaging with if you are a stay at home mom.
18. Better Academics
Another benefit from you being a SAHM is through your kids’ academic performance. Obviously, you can be more attentive to your kids’ homework, school relationships and encourage them along the way. All of this will boost a child’s confidence and give them the tutoring they need.
And it shows, according to this study, kids in 10th grade with a parent at home, when they were young, achieved better grades than those who did not. So even if you don’t continue until they are school-aged, there are still benefits of being a stay at home mom as kids get older. Proof that what happens during toddler and preschool days stays with them into adolescence (and beyond).
19. Minus Job-Related Stress
Did you know that at least 50% of people hate their jobs? That means that even if you continue on a job, half of the people reading this would have a serious dislike for what they do everyday – 8 hours a day. It’s likely also that you would be very stressed because of it and come home in a down mood.
This obviously affects the family. But by staying home you can avoid that stress and focus on what matters to you.
20. More Sleep
So, this is according to Pew Research, and they are a real authority in research, however, I do question this benefit. The research says SAHMs get a total of 5 hours more than the overall average of working parents. Yet experience tells me differently. I tried taking more naps, but I would wake up only moments after to needed (or noisy) kids and even at night I could barely have any peace. So take it as you will, but if it’s true for you, take it
21. Cultivating Hobbies
Another benefit of stay at home moms is the ability to cultivate hobbies. I will admit that you do have more opportunities to learn and engage in a hobby than if you are hitting the clock.
I’m not saying it’s easy or regular, just an overall greater opportunity to do so.
And if you think about it, stay at home moms are more likely to start their own businesses or side gigs and explore their skills and abilities in a variety of areas.
22. Heading Off Problems
When you are with your kids all of the time from birth, you are more likely to catch developmental or health issues and address them quicker. As I mentioned above, my son’s allergies and eczema was evident from babyhood. I saw it and I could drop everything to fully focus on these issues (and by God’s grace, solve them). Same with our kids’ ADHD symptoms. I could read books, attend conferences, and work one on one with my kids.
23. Fun Mom Moments
Being able to make lunch for them, take them out to lunch (as a special treat) or take them lunch when they are in school. #joyofmotherhood right? This is the fun part.
24. Bonding/Family Quality Time
And those fun mom moments can lead to better family bonding. You spend a lot of intimate moments together as a family when moms are home. You can also influence your kids to build better relationships between siblings.
When kids are off at babysitters there are usually other kids which distract siblings from there own family relations. In addition, when the moms main priority is the home they are able to plan and structure the home in a way to build stronger relationships.
25. Flexibility of Schedule, Better Routines
Speaking of structure, your home will have better routines. We know that children thrive on routines in the home. By being a stay at home mom, you will have a lot of flexibility in the timing of things. You’ll also be able to walk step by step with your kids to help them learn good routines that may stick with them for the whole of their lives.
Is it better to be a stay-at-home mom or work?
If you really want to know if this lifestyle is for you, take the quiz!
These are all such great points! I agree, the benefits and pros of being a stay at home mom far outweigh the cons! Great blog post.
I’m glad this post was a pick-me-up. Thank you!
These are all such wonderful benefits. As a regular commuter, your reason #2 is a biggie for me 😉
One thing I enjoy about being a work-at-home mom is the fact that I have time to exercise on a regular basis.