The MSAHM: Modern Stay at Home Mom by Scott W. Danger, CPA

I grew up with a stay-at-home mom. It was a great way to grow up. I didn’t even know what day care was. My dad would leave for work in the morning and in the evening he would be home for dinner. My days were spent with my brothers or playing with other kids in the neighborhood. Their moms were home too. That was thirty years ago. Times have changed.

My daughter Sydney is now 13 months old. One year ago, my wife Kim was on maternity leave from her job with plans to go back after three months. While we do not have an extravagant lifestyle by any means, we knew we needed her income to make ends meet and to allow us to continue to save for Sydney’s college and our retirement. The more time we spent with Sydney, the more we realized that nothing was more important than the time spent with her. My wife and I wanted her to be home with her but we didn’t know how it would work. That was the start of her becoming The Modern Stay-at-Home Mom (MSAHM).

What does it take to be a MSAHM? First, the mom must decide it is what she wants. Second, it takes a commitment by both spouses that being a MSAHM is what is right for your family. It has to be a team effort and both spouses are needed to make it work. Third, it means that you probably can’t be the SAHM your mom was. My mom’s job was to care for her family. The MSAHM most likely also needs to supplement the family’s income. Don’t let this scare you away. If it is what you and your spouse really want, you can find a way. For most couples, step three is the most difficult. What can you do to supplement the family income? We all have talents. You just need to find yours and use it. A close friend of ours was a Home Economics teacher until their son was born. She took her talent of sewing and turned it into a business designing, sewing and selling her product on-line and at craft shows. Another friend loves being with kids. She took her talent and uses it to run a child care business. Another friend was a teacher. She started a pre-school in her basement. My wife had a background in Marketing and Design. She had never designed a web site before, but she taught herself how and now she does web design for small businesses. These are just a few examples of how others have used their talents to supplement their family’s income and stay at home with their children. You can do the same thing. It just takes finding that special talent each of us have and using it to become a MSAHM.  (For work at home ideas, click here)