11 Year Old Girl Scout Needs Help with a Poll :)

I'm a SAHM, and I watch my kids, or my husband. Sometimes Grandma does when she comes to visit (every 2 or 3 months). That's it.

I'm at stay-at-home mom to a 2 year old boy. I worked part-time until he was 10 months old and then I was laid off and we decided we'd see if we could swing it on one income. So far, so good, though we do miss spontaneous spending! The advantages - the enchantment of watching my child learn and explore and discover on a daily basis. Being able to enjoy the day on "his" time - stopping on the sidewalk to watch a beetle trundle along, or to ponder a cloud floating by overhead, changing shape as it crosses the sky. Enjoying weekday mommy-and-me classes and co-op preschool. The disadvantages: a very tight, carefully planned budget and very little "adult" time for me (I did enjoy the camraderie of my colleagues when I was employed).

I am a stay at home mom. Some of the advantages are being with my kids to care for them, knowing what kind of care they receive, and being able to help in their classrooms at school. The main disadvantage is not having a career to suppirt myself if my situation changed and I needed to provide income. I also miss out on some of the adult interaction and mental stimulation that can come with having a job.

What I do - I'm in school part time (have been since kiddo was 2 months old, and he's 7 now... I should be finished with school in about 8 MORE years)... here's what I do or have done for childcare

Childcare (in the past from infancy to age 4): ((To know.. infant care cost then -on average- 1600 a month... part time preschool varies wildly... we paid 650 a month))
- Primary (aside from myself): My mom ... meaning, since she did it for free saved me about 800 a month
- (at night & one day a week) : My husband (dad... which does NOT count as babysitting, but someone has to be with a young child 24/7...when my husband's schedule allowed him to be home at night, I would take night classes. Ditto I worked at night for a year. Most of the time I took daytime classes, however.)
- 3 days a week for 4 hours at age 3, and 4 days a week 4 hours at age 4 : Preschool

(We're skipping ages 5 & 6 because it gets complicated)

Currently (age 7)
- 1 afternoon a week : My mom
- 1 afternoon and one evening a week : My husband (dad)
- 4 hours a week (winter) : Summit Learning Center at Snoqualmie
- 2 hours a week : Seattle Gymnastics Academy
- 2 hours a week : Thrive Drawing School
- 1 afternoon every other week : playdate (we trade off for childcare on a weekly basis)
- 1 week a quarter : Theatre Camp

My son is not in traditional school, for many reasons (including that we leave the country for 1-3 months a year in the spring most years, although next year we may leave fall and spring)... so we homeschool. I'm including regular, recurring times when he is under other's care, because then (and at night when he's sleeping) is when I work on my own education, his education (lesson planning/research/etc), and catch an hour or two for myself to do nothing productive whatsoever except maintain my sanity. While I do many of those things while he is present ... the time away is crucial for both of us (and necessary as far as my outside classes and his are concerned), and as he's not old enough to be responsible for himself, childcare for those periods is 100% necessary. DO remember to add in schooling hours as childcare from K & up. Public school, of course, is free... private schools for k-12 range from 10k-30k a year per child in this state. Boarding school, of course, is significantly more.

Advantages to being in school while raising my child :
- I can largely set my own schedule
- While my classes are mostly in the daytime (avg of 4 hours a day twice a week), the vast majority of my work is done at home at night
- I'm home the vast majority of the time
- Interaction with others / mental stimulation
- (For the first 3 years, until my husband graduated and started earning "real" money) Financial Aid and student loans.
- Kiddo fell in love with learning & school... spending a good deal of time on campus, and watching us at home... learning & school is not only "mum's and dad's jobs" but one that he could/can/& does as well.

Disadvantages:
- Especially for the past 3 years, since I no longer qualify for financial aid... I no longer bring in a "paycheck"/ aid money
- Being financially dependent upon my husband

I am a full-time working mom with 3 little boys. My 3 year-old goes to pre-school and my 8 month old twin boys are at a babysitters house in my neighborhood.

At one point all 3 children was in daycare/pre-school. The advantages were monitored, experienced care with structure, schedule, lesson plans that help my children grow and play with other kids their age. One HUGE disadvantage - COST I was paying nearly $600/week to have all 3 boys in daycare.

When we finally pulled the infants out and found a woman in our neighborhood to watch them, I was worried that they would be babysat by the TV. But she watches 2 other toddlers including her own 2 year old.
Advantages would be, more one on one care for my boys since the ratio of adults to children is less. She's a lot more affordable and flexible. She will not charge me a late fee if I'm running late at work. She will not send them home when and if they become sick.
Disadvantages - can't claim expenses on your taxes.

I work full time as a stay at home mom. It's more work to raise my kids than any paid job I've ever had. My kids are with me 24/7 and the biggest advantage for us is that I'm able to breastfeed them as needed and I'm we're able to spend all our time together. There are no disadvantages for us!

I worked a very flexible part time job until my oldest was 2 and we were expecting our second. I was able to take her with me to work, but didn't feel like it would work to take two kids so I left my job. My girls are 2.5 and 6 months. Our plan is that I'll either get my Master's Degree or return to work when my youngest starts school.

Work full time, as does my husband. I have one son who is 6 and he attends daycare. The advantage is that he loves it there and has excellent social skills as a result. The negative is that I miss him terribly while I am at work and wish I could be home with him.

I work 2 part time jobs. During the days, I work 20 hours a week and my youngest (the only one not yet in school) goes over to another family's house where a sitter that we share with that family watches my child and their 18 month old. One evening a week, I teach a class at a university in town. My husband is home then- so no need for a sitter. Although I really wanted to hold onto my career somehow even after having children, we have always felt strongly that we wanted our children to be at home with us more hours per week than they are with someone else. This is what works for us. I applaud all moms for making the decisions that work best for their familiy- whatever those decisions may be.

I stay at home with my 5 children. When I had only one, I worked part time and brought him to work with me (or left him with my husband since we worked different hours). But after my 2nd, I quit working and came home to stay. They are occasionally watched by their grandma or their aunt for special occasions. Babysitters are too expensive since we only have one income.

The advantages are many. We have the benefit of much more family time than most. I have time during the day to plan dinners, to change sheets if needed, to take care of needs as they come up. Our schedule is much more flexible than if I had to be at work all day. The kids can relax at home if they are not feeling well.

The disadvantages can be seen as advantages as well. It is hard not having a break from them. It is hard to always have kids copying what I do. If I am being lazy, they are too. If I am eating unhealthily, they want to do that too. Also, with the kids being home together all day, they tend to get on each others nerves quite often. However, because of these things, it forces me to work on their attitudes with each other, with my own selfishness, etc. If we are going to live happily & peacefully together, we need to learn how to be forgiving, sharing, helpful, and how to work together as a team. Things that would be easy to overlook if they (or I) were not at home, now need to be dealt with. We have grown in our character traits more than we would have if we were apart from each other all day. I see my own weaknesses in their behaviors, so I know what I need to work on in my own life.

I hope this helps with your project.

I am a stay at home mom. My husband works wierd hours so it's great cause I get to see him more than if I worked. I also homeschool our children. Since I am home more I also have the time to make healthy meals for our family from scratch for the most part. If I worked I doubt I would do that and would just turn to convience foods.

Disadvantages - we moved to Indiana 2yrs ago. It's hard to make friends without going to work. I do miss getting more adult time. However, I wouldn't trade this job for anything in the world!

My husband and I work full time, and my kids spend 3 days a week at an in-home daycare, and 2 days a week with their grandparents.

I think we've struck a good balance with our childcare arrangement. The daycare provider runs her daycare like a pre-school, so the kids get structure and education, as well as fun and play in a nurturing environment while they're there. At their grandparents' things are a little less structured and more play, but they're with family and get all the love and hugs they could ever want. It works perfectly for us. Of course, 2 days with their grandparents saves us money too!

Good luck!

I work full-time, and my three children stay with a private sitter in her home. The advantages are that mine are the only three she keeps. She loves them and has plenty of time to spend with them. The disadvantages are if she or someone in her household is sick or has a personal emergency, then I have to find an alternate sitter for that day.

I am a stay-at-home mom of two boys. It has worked out the best for us because if I did work, all my money would go toward paying someone else to watch my children. It is better to learn to live on less money and take care of my own children rather than spend more money and still live on less.

I am a stay at home mom, but I also go to college online. I am working on my Bachelors degree in accounting. Being a stay at home mom has many advantages. As a stay at home mom I get to be there for my children to watch them hit every major milestone in their life. First giggle, first words, first steps, first everything. I get to kiss the owies and make them feel better. I am there for them through all the tears and laughs. I am there to raise and instill in them my morals, values, and ideals. With all of this, I also get the greatest pay in the world, hugs and kisses.

Sadly there are also disadvantages to being a stay at home mom. My husband is the only income earner, which means we do have to watch our spending. There is also no such thing as a sick day. Even when I don't want to do anything because I don't feel good, there is still 2 little mouths to feed, laundry to be done, dishes to be washed, floors to be cleaned, a 9 year old to be picked up and dropped off at school, and a 2 year old demanding my attention all day.

I do try to schedule a day here and there where I can drop my 2 children off at my sisters house and spend some time with my husband at home or out at a nice restaurant.

I am a stay at home mom of a 3 year old girl.

Advantages are being able to raise my child. Having direct contact with her constantly. Watching her grown up. Being involved in her day to day life.

Disadvantage are you rarely get a break from being with a child, you miss out on adult interaction, sometimes you lose who you are as a person because you are so focused on parenting.

Since I don't work, it is hard to find established child care for your child at times too. You end of having to rely on family or friends if you have that available to you. Not that is a bad thing, but for instance, my father has become critically ill and has been hospitalized for almost 2 months now. Trying to juggle finding someone to watch my child 2 to 4 times a week is very difficult. Had I an established relationship with a daycare because I worked, it would have made it a little easier in that regards.

This is a very good topic to look at because both sides - working and stay at home has lots of advantages and disadvantages. Many people on either side of the spectrum get think the other group has it better than they do. But it really is all about choice and what works for a family.

There are so many days that I feel like I rather go to work, but when I really think about it, I am so thankful that I don't and truly admire the people that do.

I'm a SAHM, I quit work, moved several states over to Texas and now stay with my kids until they are both in school. My husband and I take care of the kids. No family No friends No day care.

I am home with my kids and not working outside the home right now. My kids are pretty young still, 1 and turning 4. My son attends preschool 5 mornings a week. My mother lives an hour away and often watches the kids for an evening. She will also take my older child for a weekend a few times a year. My sister also will watch the kids occasionally. I would trust other relatives as babysitters but rarely need to. The advantages of family are that I trust them completely. I get along well with my mom and my sister and there are no conflicts over disipline or parenting issues. Also I do not have to pay what it would cost for a babysitter or daycare. If I worked I would need paid childcare of some kind.
The advantages of the preschool which is at a daycare center is that the teacher is excellent and he gets to socialize with other kids. The disadvantage is the cost and set hours.

I have looked for a high school age babysitter but so far haven't found one that worked out (scheduling issues). I used to babysit starting when I was 13. I am still friends with that family.

Good luck with your project. I was a Girl Scout for over 20 years myself.

I am a stay at home mom who takes care of two children, ages 4 years old and 6 months old. My husband works full time. The advantage of me being home is that i get to see all the firsts, i dont have to pay half my paycheck towards daycare, and i get to be with my kids. The disaadvantege of me being home is that we struggle to pay the bills, i never get time alone, and i dont have much of a social life. The disadvantage to having hubby work full time is he dosen't get to spend very much time with the kids. Hope this help.

Hi,
I am a stay at home mom to a 2 year old boy. We are financially O.K. on one salary, However I am thinking about going back to work soon.

Advantages: being the first one to hear a new word or observe a new milestone. Knowing I am the one raising my child. That's very rewarding. I agree not having to worry about daycare is nice.

Disadvantages: It's hard if you don't have a parent's support group or friends in the same situation as you to have adult interaction. You never have your own time. My child is rather demanding of my attention

I think some people cope better than others being stay at home parents. Just the personality of the parent and also of the child I suppose.

Good luck.

I work full time as an 8th grade teacher. Of course, I have the summers off. While my husband and I are at work our parents babysit for her. They split the weeks in half. The advantages: it's free, I know she is getting personal attention, it is easy for them to follow the directions I leave behind because she is the only one there, they love her because she is their granddaughter, I don't worry when she is with them, she has less contact with germs than she would at a daycare. Disadvantages: She doesn't get to socialize with other children, because they are her grandparents they sometime don't follow my directions because they feel like they know better because they have raised kids of their own.

I am a stay at home mom to a 15 month old son, with a daughter on the way in June. When I work full-time in the summer, my son is cared for by his grandparents, which allows them to spend time with him and take him to fun places like the zoo, while avoiding us paying for daycare and ensuring that he is with someone who loves him. Otherwise, as a stay at home mom, it was a big adjustment b/c all of my friends work full-time every day, so I didn't have much support or anyone to turn to for advice at first. A major advantage is being with our son, and ensuring that he has the best care while getting to experience his firsts (crawling, walking, talking). A disadvantage: there is no "me" time, and when I go out with friends who talk about work, I feel disconnected.

I taught school for almost ten years and when we decided to have a family we both thought it would be best if I stayed home. I encountered more than a few kids that I think would have benefited a great deal if they had spent more time with a parent rather than in childcare. I have worked part-time off and on, but only in the evenings when my husband is home. The advantages to being a stay-at-home mom would be my kids are learning what I want them to learn and seem to have fewer behavioral problems than many of their peers. They learn many skills sooner than their peers as well. And I feel like I really know my kids and I won't grow old wondering if I really did enough with my kids or spent enough time rearing my children. Disadvantages would be less money coming into the house. But to be perfectly honest I would have to make a very nice salary to make paying daycare, buying work clothes, buying lunch foods, paying for maintenance and gas on a car, paying taxes to Uncle Sam, and dealing with work related stress worthwhile.

First, good luck with your badge!

I work part time (3-4 days per week) and a babysitter watches my 10 month old while at work when my husband is also working. We have no family local to us, so that is not an option (although it would be a better option if it was available). I work odd hours (swing shifts and weekend shifts) so traditional daycare is not an option for us either. The advantage of babysitters is that the child gets more attention than the group setting of childcare centers. The advantage of my crazy hours is that when my husband is not deployed, he gets one on one time with our child and she does not have to be in childcare. The disadvantages are the difficulty in finding someone willing to work my odd hours long term, babysitters are more pricy than childcare centers, and if the sitter is ill, there is no back up and bosses don't appreciate you calling in to take the day off because the sitter is ill.

This situation works for us, but it is an ongoing challenge to cover all of my shifts.

~Lucy

I was a full time working mom and my kids were in daycare, but now I am a stay at home mom. The advantages: I get to see my kids every day, and I control who they are arround and what they are learning/doing. Disadvantages: I am with my kids 24/7 with no breaks. and the missing finances.

I would not trade it though.

I was a full time stay at home mom for almost five years while my husband worked full time. The advatages were: seeing my childrens' every smile, giggle, sweet sleeping face, tantrum, fear, and sadness - this allowed me to know my kids fully and be able to be a supportive and helpful mommy helping them to grow. I was also able to monitor what they ate, how much sleep they got, and choose when and where to take them, and what outside exposure they were getting. I breastfed both my kids full time knowing that was what was healthiest for them, and was able to care for them in the night if they were sick or just needed to cuddle not having to worry about needing to get up early for work or being too tired to dedicate myself to an outside job. I really didn't feel there were any disadvantages, although I made it a point to schedule play dates and date nights so that I didn't go crazy with no adult interaction.
Now, for the past three months I have been working full time outside the home, while my husband stays home full time. I work 5 days a week, and he is in the Navy Reserve where he works one weekend a month and two weeks per year (I will take time off to watch my kids when this two weeks comes up). The advantages of this are that he has some time (during our kids nap) to look for a higher paying job instead of just jumping into whatever comes along first, if he were working full time there wouldn't be this two hour window every day for applications or interviews. Another advantage is that I am building my resume and updating my skills just in case anything ever happened to my husband (which is possible if he were deployed with the military to war) and I were to become the sole breadwinner of the family. I am also putting money into the social security system that I can access later in life, and on a really good day at work it's kind of a nice break from the routine of being home after five years. The disadvatages are that I am missing all the little things my kids do, my kids had to make a huge adjustment to my being gone and not tending to their needs all day, and my house is not nearly as clean as I would like it to be. As soon as possible I will go back to being a stay at home mom and my husband will go back to full time work, as that is the optimal situation for our family.

I am a new mother to a beautiful 7 month old. I work pretty much full time, 80%, as a nurse. I do 12 hour shifts. Works out to be 2 days a week and 3 weekend shifts a month.
During the week my child goes to in-home daycare. She was able to be flexible as my days vary week to week. Most public places wouldn't be flexible. On the weekends, she stays with daddy. I am still learning the advantages and disadvantages. Like the other working moms, a disadvantage is the time away from her.Another disadvantage is being around lots of germs. We are dealing with this right now, but every kid will get sick at some point. My friends child who stays home with a nanny has been sick more than mine.
I believe an advantage is that she is getting good socialization. This particular daycare is run like a pre-school, so she will get an early start on education. She also gets good one on one with daddy too. He is the one to get her up on the days I work and take her to daycare and picks her up and watches her until I return home that night. So far it's seems to be working well.
Hope this helps

I work full time. My husband takes care of our son during the day M-F and goes to work when I get home. He has 3 days off during the week and works Thursday-Sunday. It is wonderful that we don't pay for childcare & that our son is always with mommy or daddy. The disadvantage is that we don't have as much time together all 3 of us since we don't have an days off together and only 3 nights per week together. Grandparents help out and have 1/2 day playdates 2 days during the week.

I am a stay at home mom with 3 girls who are 11, 2 and 8 months. Their father works full time. The advantages of staying home with them is that I get to spend all this quality time with the little ones before school starts and I am home when my 11 year old gets home from school. On occasion, I do go to my husband's store if they need help and I get my Mom to watch the girls for me. The advantages of that is that I am very trusting of my mom and they have a good time with her. And it doesn't cost a fortune.

I am a stay at home mom of 2, and i also from home part-time with a wellness company setting up new customer accounts. I love it! it gives me time with my children and allows me to help bring in an income to help support my family. the only draw backs are if my kids are in a mood and i have to work and have to stop to correct them.

I stay home now, but used to work. My mother watched our daughter when I worked. I will answer this as a stay home mom, since that is what I am now.

Advantages: You get to be the number influence on your child. It's easier to have consistency with discipline because you know what is happening all day.

You don't have to worry when your child is sick who will take off work- you are already with them.

You get to see all your child's "firsts."

You have time to cook better foods for your family and more time to shop to save money.

You get the housework done during the week, so weekends can truly be "family time."

Less stress on the family as a unit because you are there to help your house run smoothly.

Many, many, many more advantages!

Disadvantages: It's hard to meet other moms who stay home. You can sometimes feel isolated from others.

Money is a little tighter with only one income.

Those are the only disadvantages I can think of because I LOVE staying home!!!!!

my daughter works full time and i watch her 3 kids

I am a homeschooling stay at home mom. There are numerous advantages such as, flexibility, spending time with my kids, vacations during off times, shopping when everyone else is at work. The only disadvantage is that it can be isolating, if you let it. Best of luck on your project. My daughter is a junior girl scout.

Hello,
I am a stay-at-home Mom.
The advantages are: being available at all times for my kids. Not having to worry about work if one of my kids is sick, has a snow day or something like that. I like being home during the summer days when the kids are home. I think I would be 100% more stressed out if I was a Mom and had a job too. I think being a stay at home mom is a full time job as it is, so adding another job in would be tough!

Disadvantages...to me there are not really any - except that when I join the workforce again, I will be fairly behind the times I guess!

Hi!

I work full time. My son goes to pre-K and daycare. The advantage of him being in school are that it lets me work full time in a career I really enjoy (I'm a middle school teacher) and he has developed many friendships with kids his own age. He learns to be part of a group and get along with others as well as follow directions. The disadvantages are mostly just the time I miss with him. Some week days we hardly see each other. The mornings are just getting dressed, eating, and getting to school and in the evenings its dinner bath and bed. Luckily days like that aren't all that frequent.

Hope this helps.

S.A.H.M. (stayathomeMom) of three. advantages....I am totally connected, I see the bad days and good of my 10 yr old, I feel the 7 yr old when she's feeling a little in the middle and my 2 yr old gets my undivided attention when the others are at school. Projects and activities are a possibility because the kids are my main priority. Disadvantages...for me are that I tend to have no down time, I am the mom, the house keeper, the wife, there are no off days, unless scheduled in advance.

I'm a stay-at-home mom and I homeschool all of my children. The advantages are that I get to spend a lot of time with my kids. I also control who they spend time with and what activities they are involved with and I'm always with them. My children are very mature and well behaved. I'm also home to make sure the house is clean, there is always food prepared and I stay on top of all the house work so my husband won't have to worry about anything here at home. He can just concentrate on working and spending time with us. Plus, he takes care of all the outside work and vehicle maintenance etc. I'm kind of like the home manager. The disadvantage is that I don't have an income. I probably save more money staying home than I could make working because I could never keep up with everything and save with groceries while working. I do home stuff to make a little money here and there so all in all, I probably make more by staying home. Good luck with your badge.

I work full time. My parents, my children's grandparents, watch them. My oldest is 5 years old and just started kindergarten. I drop him off at school in the mornings on Mondays and Fridays. Tuesday and Thursday, a schoolmate's dad takes him to school and on Wednesday's my dad takes him to school. My dad picks him up every day after school and takes him to his PT class on Weds and Fris. My youngest is a year and 1/2 and my mom and dad spend the day with him. I am happily married but my DH works 10-12 hours a day. My parent adore my children and love to say that Im my kids babysitter for nights and weekends...hahaha... My oldest have mild special needs and I can honestly say that I would not be able to work and take care of my children without my mom and dad. I hate not being there all the time for my kids. However I have been with my company for more than 10 years and they give me the flexibility of being with my kids when I need to and have accumulated weeks of vacation time to only spend time with them. I would think the most disadvantage is that my parents spoil my kids rotten.

I am a SAHM (stay at home) and my husband works Full Time. We are the only ones that watch our daughter unless there is something we really need to do and we cant take our daughter: she is 15 mo old this Tue. The disadvantage is for us: we dont get a break from her at all and there are a lot of advantages: just a few.......we have a strong bond, I know her very well and I know what she needs and wants so we do not have a lot of behavior issues, she is very smart and advanced for her age bc I was a teacher maybe so I know what to teach her I guess, Since I am the only one rasing her she is not confussed she knows what the rules are, I am her main influence and I can teach her what I belive, feel and vaule, I was able to nurse her and still do....I guess there are more but I hope this is what you are looking for..........good luck !!!

3 year old daughter

I used to work full time but now am unemployed.... My husband goes to school fulltime and has online classes so does school from home usually. My daughter has been going to daycare/preschool since she was 3 months old. This her is 3rd daycare she has been to. It's an in home daycare/preschool.

Advantages:
* She gets to play with kids her own age.
* She gets to go to preschool two days a week and has already learned her ABC's, numbers to 15, colors, shapes, etc.
* She learns to eat other foods than what I usually prepare at home and eats a lot of fruits etc.

Disadvantages:
* Hasn't learned to do things by herself or play by herself for very long.
* Is "attached to the hip" when she is at home.

I don't see many other disadvantages besides those. I am very happy where she is at now. I had other problems with the last place she was at ... Mostly that they smoked in the garage and my daughter has asthma... the smoke would make its way into the house.

Good Luck!

I stay home with my two kids. I think the advantage is that I am more involved in their day to day activities.

Aw girl scouts, yay! I work full time... from home. I manage an online business. My two older girls go to school, and the baby stays home with me. I work about 70 hours a week. I'm super busy, always, but I love being able to be home with my kids while earning a living. The only disadvantage is I rarely get self-time... but that's a sacrifice I'm more than willing to make! Good luck earning your badge!

I am a stay-at-home mom, who works about 6 hours a week, mostly from home. I have two children - 22 months and 6 months. My husband usually works until 8pm. We live far from family. I have a mother's helper who comes for an hour each evening to be my extra set of hands, in bathing and feeding the children, since my husband isn't home yet.

My older daughter also goes to daycare 3 days a week. I enrolled her to give her some activity, outdoor play and socialization, while also giving myself a break. I found it extremely difficult to care for a busy toddler and newborn baby together in a small condo with no yard. Soon, my toddler will switch to a preschool, and go 3 mornings a week instead of 3 full days, because the new baby is getting older, and it's becoming more manageable for me.

The advantages of this arrangement are that I have alone time with the new baby, and I dont ever feel too overwhelmed, since I have the help of daycare and my evening helper. My older daughter gets to have a lot of fun, doing art projects, outdoor play, cooking, storytime, etc. On the days she is home, I have the energy to keep her entertained because Im not burned out.

The disadvantages are that I feel guilty that I can not do it all myself. I always thought my husband and I would be the sole caretakers of our children. But sometimes life becomes more challenging than you think, and you need help. I am working to accept that, and to let go of the guilt.

I work full time. I am lucky enough to own a childcare center and my children come to work with me. Although they are in their own classroom during the day, I can see them anytime I want to.

Hi
I work full time outside of the home as does my husband. My husband and I have different days for our "weekend" so our daughter is home 4 days a week, 2 days with me and 2 days with my husband/her dad and goes to day care 3 days per week (which is an in home day care about 7 houses away from ours).

Advantages:
Of me working - although small, we own a home rather than rent; although not rich, we have money to do fun things that we couldn't do when I was not working and to buy better food (whole foods and organic foods rather than lots of processed foods); we are all covered with very good health insurance through my work and we do not pay it, my employer pays for it (when I was not working, health insurance for our daughter and me was over $700 per month and it had higher co-pays plus a large deductible which we don't have with my insurance); we both have other good benefits like paid sick and vacation leave and paid holidays; she gets lots of one on one time with both mom and dad and also some good time with us as a family.

Of our daughter in day care - our daughter (age 2) is incredibly social and loves going to day care to play with her friends; she gets used to being around caregivers that love her but are not her parents; she learns things from the other kids that I don't think I could teach her and the socialization; it allows us some time apart, and the result is that it makes the time that we have together more meaningful and special, I think often that I am a better mom when I am with her because I have less time with her (also, I work harder to organize my 'spare' time so that chores get done, for example on my lunch hour I come home and do dishes or other chores and watch TV while I do those chores so that I can devote more time with our daughter in the evenings); and when there are weird things going on with our daughter we have the perspective and skills of the day care owners to help us solve the problems.

Disadvantages:
Of me working - I miss my baby terribly, it is really hard to leave her every day and be out of the home for 8-10 hours per day; I miss out on many of her milestones or see them second or third; I don't always have time or energy to do a lot of the things that we want or need to do;

Of our daughter in daycare - she brings home sickness from the other kids (right now I think I have an ear infection); they watch more TV than I would like her to and programs that I wouldn't necessarily let her watch (we watch next to no TV at home and they aren't bad programs that she watches at daycare).

Note: All of the advantages we have because of me working do not replace the sadness I feel when I leave her each day. I think, though, that working 20-25 hours per week, instead of 40-45, would create the perfect balances. We are lucky that she only needs to go 3 days per week, we have friends whose children go 5 days and they seem to spend more waking hours at daycare than at home.

Good luck earning your badge.

R.

Hi,

I'm of mom of 2 girls scouts (a cadette and a senior).

When my children were babies, both my husband and I worked full-time. My husband works in the retail business so he had Monday's off and 2 mornings off a week. We had a nanny who stayed with us 4 days a week. She was my husband's nanny when he was growing up and is like a grandmother to my children. When she wasn't available, my mother-in-law would help out or we had to fill in with day care.

Having someone in my home was a great advantage. My children could stay in their own enviroment and play with their own toys. My husband's family is from Brazil and so was the nanny. She spoke broken english which could be difficult at times, but she exposed the girls to a new language. Another huge advantage was lunch time. I didn't have to worry about making something in the morring, and there we no limitations to what could be made.

One of the disadvantages is the nanny did not drive, so we had to pick her up and bring her home.

Good luck with your badge.

I have 3 year old twins and an 18 year old daughter. I work part time from home and watch my children myself. The other people who watch my children are their big sister, their dad, and there are a couple of aunties that watch them. I do not have them in daycare and I am so grateful that I am able to do that. The disadvantage of this is there are not many options for sitters so I might not be able to schedule what I need to do very easily. The advantage is that I am able to work with my children and teach them and know what they are learning. Hopefully God will continue to bless me and my family enough to continue this way.

I am a part time working mom. My work schedule consists of (2) 12 hour shifts a week. My husband is a freelance photographer so if he doesn't work on the days I work then he stays home with the baby. Otherwise, if we both are scheduled to work, my aunt watches my baby. The advantages are that I only work twice a week and get to stay home with my baby. If I work, my husband has a day with our baby. And if we both work, my aunt who is family watches the baby. We are blessed!

I am a stay at home mom with 4 children.
While I went ot work with the kids at their schools I took my little ones to the daycare on base in CA and NC.
In VA I enrolled my 2 year old in a daycare 2 days a week and at three he went three days adn at 4 he went 5 days.
I now homeschool my third and fourth child.
Daycare gave me a couple hours to myself. I was able to wash the dishes and get laundry done. It was also nice to go to the grocery store without the children.
The disadvantages were when my firstborn took his first steps it was at daycare and when he spoke his first word it too was at daycare.

i'm a stay at home mom with my nine month old daughter. the advantage of doing it is i get to see her do her first everything. i love it. the disadvantage is that i hate not having any of my own money really. i wouldn't change it for anything though.

I was a girl scout for a long time too, so I'm happy to help you out!

I stay home full time with my son, so I don't need regular daycare. Sometimes his grandparents watch him if I have doctor appointments or other things I need to go to, but usually it's just me.
The biggest advantage is getting to watch him grow and learn. Every time he does something new, I am usually the first to see it. It's helped us build a strong relationship.
A disadvantage is that sometimes I get a little bored and wish I had some other adults to talk to. My son talks a lot, but he is only 2.5, so the conversations get kind of boring after awhile!

Good luck on your badge. :D

This poll is such a great idea, I am a stay at home mom. My only jobs outside the house are Girls Scout Troup leader and band booster treasurer. Anytime we need a babysitter we call my nieces or grandparents. There are many advantages to staying at home, such as, I don't have to miss a thing with my kids, I have peace and quiet when they go to school and I get to clean my house without interruptions. the only disadvantage is money, you learn to live on less, but I am more greatful for what I have, and at the end of the day as long as my family is happy, so am I. Good Luck with your badge and God Bless!

I work full time as a nanny, so that lets me stay at home with my children. It works out really well for my family. I work anywhere between 35-45 hours a week. My husband also works full time while doing side work on the weekends.
My kids rarely get watched by anyone...maybe once every couple of months, and then it is by my good friend or my family (my brothers or parents)
Advantages (of being home): I have never missed a milestone. I am there to raise my children to be moral upstanding kids. I was able to breastfeed my kids for as long as they wanted (although I could have pumped if I needed to!). I know their friends, know what they are doing throughout the day, have extremely well behaved kids.
Advantages (of working): I watch a fabulous little girl who is just a joy to be around (I have been with the family almost 3 years). I have a little extra money coming in. My son has a permanent playmate.
Disadvantages (of being home): I am ALWAYS on duty! Sometimes it would be nice to have a full day away from the kids and with other adults. I have always been "mom" and "wife" so I had to revamp MY life to not lose myself.
Disadvantages (of working): While I do love the little girl I nanny, sometimes I wish I could have my evening free to spend with my son who is in school. I think he is missing out on his "mama time". Sometimes my younger son would love to have JUST me during the day. It is hard to get everything done in the house (laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning)..although it does get done!
Good luck with your badge.

I work full time an an au pair cares for my twins. She is from Thailand and lives with us. Advantages - one on one care for the babies. The caregiver forms a bond with their charges. Disadvantages - someone is living in the house with you, there are a limited number of hours they can work as mandated by the government.

Best of luck in getting your badge. Our cadette troop is doing the same!! To answer your questions.... I have a part-time business that I work from home. I do the work while my kids are at school, so when they are home I can spend time with them. It's the best of both worlds. I get time to be "me," not just a mom but then get the joys of being a mom when the kids are home.

Hi J..

I work 3 days a week and mom mom watches my little one. Good luck with your poll. I'd like to stay home more, but it's just not possible right now. this is a good mix, I get some time to be my daughter's mommy, but I bring money in as well.

I work full time outside the home. I have 2 children, the older one is in Kindergarten and he does the before and after care. My younger one is in daycare full time with VPK during part of the day.
Advantage is daycare keeps him much busier/engaged than I would ever be able to do. Even with paying the costs of aftercare/day care we are still able to take home more money than if one of us stayed home. The dual income allows us to live in a town with all A rated schools.
Disadvantage - yeah, I would love to stay home and spend more time with them but it just is not an option for us at this time.

I work full-time (50 hrs. per week) running an in-home daycare. I have the amazing opportunity to work in my own home, and have my baby with me too. Her dad works nights, so he spends the mornings with her while I focus on the daycare kids and she also spends 1-2 days a week with her grandparents. There are many advantages to having the home daycare-I don't have to wake her up in the mornings (within reason), I've been able to nurse her for the last 10 months, I'm able to watch her grow and I don't miss any milestones, she has built in playmates already, we don't have to worry about childcare expenses, she has 3 times as many toys as most kids, she's good about sharing my attention with other kids and is never jealous, the list goes on and on. The only disadvantage to our situation is that she's exposed to lots of germs since the daycare is part of her home, however I see this as an advantage also, since she's already building up a strong immune system and is usually the last to get a cold when one is going around. Good luck with your poll!

I use to work full-time with 2 kids and then stopped working after I had my third. I did contract work for a while but the economy is not great for that right now. With the first two, they went to an amazing daycare. Now I am the only one who watches them. When I did contract work, I had a part-time nanny.

Main Working advantages: I became me again. I couldn't wait to see my kids and wanted to play with them. And of course the money, very efficient with my time
Main Working disadvantages: Tired, endless errands on the weekends, not enough time with my kids.

Main Stay-at-home advantages: Always there for my kids, have time to take care of the house and can be involved in activities a little more, more time for errands and play time
Main Stay-at-home disadvantages: Only someone's wife or mom...lost "me" in the shuffle, take the kids more for granted and vice versa, no money, not so efficient with my time and no outside release

I work out of my house only 4-5 hours a week as a tutor. The rest of the time I spend at home with my 2 year old daughter. I am also pregnant with baby #2 and hope to continue working very part time after my 3 month maternity leave. In the past, when we lived farther away, I had a teenage babysitter watch my daughter for about 3-4 hours a week until my husband could pick her up after work. Now that we live much closer to where I tutor, my husband comes home and then I leave.

On a rare occasion (maybe 1 time a month) my daughter's grandmother will watch her.

We find no disadvantages to our arrangement, only advantages. Our daughter is in our care 98% of the time and with people who love her unconditionally the other 2% of the time. Everyone fights over who gets to spend time with her.

I get the time to parent her the way I want her to be raised and get to take her to playdates and ECFE classes (child/parent classes offered by the state....VERY FUN for both of us). My husband can work from home when he needs to or wants to and has a daddy/daughter night every Friday night. I get to scrapbook with my friends those nights and recharge for the rest of the week. So far, the kid is one happy kid and we plan to keep it that way!

Good luck on your badge! :)

I work full time Monday - Friday. I work a second job on Saturdays. I am also a Cadette leader! Daycare watches my daugther when she isn't at school.

The advantages of being a working mom are that we have extra money which allows my daughter to have more opportunites. Our family is on a better schedule than they were when I didn't work.

Disadvantages are that she never gets to sleep late in the summer and I feel guilty about being gone so much!

I am a mother that goes to school and works part time with FEDEX. When I work my husband or mother in law watch my kids. The disadvantage is having to live with my mother in law and having to raise my kids according to her standards.

I work full time and my husband is home with our baby. The advantages are we have enough money to get by, the baby is able to bond strongly with his dad, and the baby's development is enhanced by the male bonding.
Disadvantages are I don't get as much time with my baby, It's hard to deal with breastfeeding and working, when I get home after working all day I still have a lot to do, and biggest of all I miss my baby a lot

Updated

I work full time and my husband is home with our baby. The advantages are we have enough money to get by, the baby is able to bond strongly with his dad, and the baby's development is enhanced by the male bonding.
Disadvantages are I don't get as much time with my baby, It's hard to deal with breastfeeding and working, when I get home after working all day I still have a lot to do, and biggest of all I miss my baby a lot

Ok, girl scout lets help you get that badge. I am a stay at home mom, I watch my children. Advantage I don't have to pay for sitter, gas to go to a job or money on lots of clothes for a job. I also know that since I am taking care of my children I am in stilling my values to them not someone else. Disadvantage is not enough time for me and sometimes needing my kids to miss me more, when your away the heart grows fonder.

Wowie.. so many good replies so far.. I don't even have time to look at them. :)

I sooo loved being a girl scout and even was a troop leader without kids..

I stay at home.
No real help from any family.
I don't miss it because haven't had it available.

I love my afternoon naps with my 3 yr old.. he is a boy and he all to grown up befoere I know it.. did the same with my now 6yr old.

I feel like .. with my boys.. all the time I get to hold and cuddle when they are young will better them when they are older and hopefully want to do the same with all the people in their life later :)

wish youy the best of luck with your report..
my reply is.. mostly I watch my kids on my own. I love it!!

I work full time. We have two daughters, 2 1/2 years old and 3 months old. Our 3 month old stays with her grandparents (my parents), and our 2 1/2 year old goes to an in-home daycare 3 days a week, and stays with my parents and her sister the other two. I hate that I can't stay home with our girls, so the advantage to having my parents watch them is that I feel like they are still being raised by family. However, as they are older and have health problems, we started taking our oldest to a separate sitter as a back up. Also to give her a chance to socialize with other kids. The woman who watches her is older, too, and very sweet. She lives a couple of blocks from my office, and only watches two other children, so our daughter still gets lots of attention. The only downside to having elderly childcare providers is that their opinions about some things are different than mine - how much TV is appropriate, for example. But overall, I think the situation we have is the best for us next to me being able to stay home.

I am a work very(@8 hrs a week) part time mom. I have chosen a job that requires me to be away from them while only they are sleeping ( I work 2x a week from 4am-8am), that way we do not need outside childcare and I am home before my oldest leaves for school and hubby leaves for work. The only people who watch my kids are family...mostly Auntie and Uncle or older brothers/cousins, sometimes grandparents but they live 3 hours away, so that's more like vacation for them as opposed to babysitting. It just makes me feel safer. I could not/can not bring myself to allow strangers to watch my kids...especially when they are little and can not talk and tell me how their day went! I am just too fearful of harm coming to them because no one loves my kids as much as I/we do!

The only disadvantages I can think of is not socializing enough with other children when they are little. All my kids go/ have gone to preschool but that doesn't start till they are 3 yrs old.

Karma
Kids:18, 15, 6, 4 and 2

Hi, my husband and I are stay at home parents with our Nutrition Business.
We work with parents and families and teach them about nutrition, concerns and needs.
Keep going you will get your badge.
H.

I work from home as a medical transcriptionist. I love being able to stay home with my kids, but also earn an income to help with the family too. I would not trade it for the world, but sometimes it can be tiring when you don't get a break from the kids (because daddy comes home from work and wants to relax and wonders what I did all day "sitting" at home with the kids...yeah right, "sitting"...doesn't happen much!)

When my husband and I go out, the boys stay with my dad and step-mom or my husband's parents. I love having family in town to watch my kids (plus they give free, quality care), but we still have times of argument between the two sets of parents on who is watching the kids next and who watched them last time...so that is hard sometimes. We have learned just to alternate who watches them so nobody monopolizes the kids' time.

BTW, kodos to being a G.S.! I went all the way to earn my Gold Award and feel G.S. helped to form the woman I am today! Have fun!

Even though I currently don't have a job out of the house (I am unemployed) my 2 1/2 year old son is still in day care. He goes 3 days part time because I feel that the social interaction he gets there is something I just could not give him. I believe he needs to understand that there are rules in this world that don't come from his parents and he still needs to follow them.

I have 2 boys (4 and almost 3) and I went back to work when the youngest was 1 1/2. I work full time and my kids attend a daycare/preschool just down the street full time. I don't have any relatives in town that can watch them for me. I think being the ages they are they are in a good environment, they like to play with their friends and have lots of age-appropriate activities. The older one is learning his letters, numbers and how to write his name and some spanish. They have a fun outdoor playground too. Overall I am very happy with the situation, although some days I miss them really bad, and some days I think it is h*** o* them being around so many people all day. Although, it seems hardest in the morning when we first get there and they need to go find an activity to do. When I pick them up sometimes they don't want to leave. Good luck with your project!

I work 36 hours a week and get to work 2 days a week from home ( the other 3 in the office) My husband works from home part time and watches our son. It has been wonderful for both my husband and I to get to spend so much time with our son. I love that my son has such a wonderful relationship with his father and is learning from him how to become a man. I am so thankful for my employeers flexibility and allowing me to work from home. The disadvantage is that it is hard to work my full hours on my days at home with a 2 year old competing for my attention. I think that finding balance is always tricky.

I work full time in a medical/theraputic field. I am a mom to one child. I have a full time nanny that I trust completely. The advantages are my child is at home, not daycare. I am able to work full time (my husband works full time also) so we are able to provide my daughter anything she may need in life. The disadvantage is obviously I have missed a few milestones (first steps for example) and that saddens me. But knowing that my child will have a comfortable and financially secure future is a huge comfort. Good luck with your badge.

Hi! I am a stay-at-home mom to two children--ages 5 and 9. I have stayed at home since before my daughter was born as it was a decision my husband and I always planned on and prepared for. Both of our moms were stay-at-home mothers and we felt it was important our children had a mother that was home for them to see all their firsts and spend quality time with them. I have been a member of a moms club for all of those years and that has provided socialization and many wonderful experiences for both my children and myself. On occasion my parents will watch the kids or we get a babysitter when we want a night out.

I am mom in my 40's so we had our children a bit later than many of my friends. I had a career before they were born and felt satisfied with that experience but am not the type to want to climb the corporate ladder. The field I worked in has lent itself well to many freelance opportunities so I can work from home when I feel like earning a little extra money.

The advantages are that I am able to raise our children with the values that are important to us. I am also able to volunteer at their school which is important to me because I get to know their friends and the teachers better. The disadvantags are that I sometimes feel like I am being judged by parents that work outside the home because I don't have a "real" job and feel like I need to often justify our decision. I realize we are fortunate enough for me to be able to stay home but we have made it work for us by staying in the same home for 15+ years, spending modestly, etc. And I am able to work from home with my freelance work. But I wouldn't trade any of it for the time spent with my kids!

I LOVED Girl Scouts and stayed right through Cadettes!! Awesome!!

- 4 year old son
- I work part time (was full time), go to school the other time - so basically full time.
- My son goes to daycare and I have a friend who picks him up on my school nights and watches him till my husband or I gets home.

Advantages - my son thrives on the structured setting of "school". They teach independence and "playing nice" skills that aren't as easily learned from us as parents. It also helps him realize its OK to be away from us and that other people are "in charge" sometimes (will help when he starts formal school).

Disadvantages - I really don't see a lot of disadvantages to me working (whether full or part time). In this financial time, we need to work as a couple to keep our home functioning and attempt to save at the same time. As far as the daycare portion of it - even if I was a stay at home mom - I would still have him enrolled in some sort of formal program - though it would be on a part time basis.

Good luck!!!

I was a stay at home Mom until 6 months ago with a set of twins and a singleton. The twins are now 2 years and 3 months and the singleton is 10 months. Originally we (my husband and I) had thought that I would work part time with one in day care 2 or 3 days a week. That didn't happen when we found out I had twins and to work and pay for day care would have lost my whole paycheck. We didn't feel that was worth it. So I became a stay at home mom.

Advantages: i was raising my child not someone else. I got to see all of their firsts. I have been able to do a delayed vaccination schedule (none of them currently have vaccinations) I have been able to teach them sign language which has helped their verbal skills. I have been able to work on elimination communication which facilitates potty training. Getting to go out whenever I feel like the kids need to be outside to run around no matter what the weather. Constantly getting together with other stay at home moms and their kids for socialization. Not paying someone else to take care of my children. More time for me to keep a clean household.

Disadvantages: there is NO down time. You are constantly moving and interacting with children/cleaning and picking up. Less money since there is only one income. Less room for error with billing and payroll issues.

Now we have had a role reversal. My husband was laid off back in March of '09. I was still pregnant with our singleton. We qualified for unemployment so he stayed home with the twins and I.

Advantages: Better bonding between twins and Daddy. More assistance for me with all three. More trips outside as a family. And the previous advantages listed.
Disadvantages: Less income, and the previous disadvantages listed.

Currently; I am now working part time while Daddy stays home with all three kids.
Advantages: I get to go to work and have socialization with adults. Daddy bonds more with all three. More income coming in. No one else is watching my children that I am paying for. See first set of listed advantages.

Disadvantages: I miss my children desperately when I am at work. They are not receiving the same attention that I give them from their father. I still have to clean the house but with less time. See previous disadvantages.

I hope this helps your poll. All of this is from my perspective not from my husbands.

Good luck

S.

I am married and work full time, we have a 10 year old daughter. She is in school most of my workday, and after school goes to my cousins house for a few hours until I am off. I have worked full time since she was in kindergarten. The disadvantages to this are something I struggle with often. There is not much time at the end of the day to really enjoy eachother, it's pretty much dinner/bath/bed, which does make me sad. Another thing that is really difficult is being able to stay home with her when she is sick- my job doesn't really allow for me to be gone for things like that. The only advantage, and reason I continue to work, is that the health insurance coverage is great, my daughter has some health issues, and takes daily medications. Without the insurance, the cost of her healthcare would be astronomical, and my husbands income is too much for us to qualify for any sort of health insurance assistance (ie- Oregon Health Plan), even if I didn't work.
I hope this helps! Good luck on your poll!
L.