• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Dishes & Dust Bunnies
  • Nav Social Menu

Dishes & Dust Bunnies

Dishes & Dust Bunnies

Good Home Cooking and The Magick of Modern Homemaking - Recipes and lots of good stuff!

“When are you returning to work?” My Response

by Michelle Dunster

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our discloure policy.

“When are you returning to work?”

This is one question that is often asked of me by friends, family and other random people when they find out I'm a first time mom and our plans are for me to stay home and care for my son.  I often get a surprised or shocked look from them and sometimes their assumptions of me change.

"When are you returning to work?" My Response

“It must be so nice to be able to afford to stay home!”

“What do you do all day?! It must be soooo boring!”

or simply:

“Oh, you're one of those moms.”

What do they mean by “one of those moms”?  If they mean that I'm a mom who understands the importance of parental bonding in the early years of life then they're on the right track but there's much more to it than that.
donnieandmamasm

My entire day, all 24 hours of it, revolves around running the household and making certain that my son has all of his needs met.  That means planning and making meals, kissing boo boos, cleaning EVERYTHING, playing with toy trucks, doing laundry, reading stories, teaching the 123s and the ABCs, cleaning poop and pee off various surfaces, being a disciplinarian, having tickle fights, dealing with tantrums, tripping over mounds of toys, experiencing sleep deprivation and having complete and unconditional love for my son.

There is obviously much more to the job description than that so we'll just say it's a demanding and sometimes tough job and I'm happy to do it.  Being a mom is a job in and of itself and my work started when that child of mine was growing inside my belly.

We've looked into daycare but the cost is exceptionally high where we live.  The average cost for day care here in Toronto is between $1500-$2000 per month.  That means that if I decided to return to work nearly all of my personal income would be going to pay for daycare alone.  The high cost of daycare is one of the many factors leading more parents to stay home and care for their children.

Even if the cost of daycare was more reasonable I would still feel the same about staying home to care for my son.

Other than the cost of daycare being high, I believe that especially in the early years of a child's life it is important for parents to do the majority of the raising.  It just doesn't sit well with me to think that my alternative would be to come home everyday from a soul sucking office job (been there done that) and be too mentally/physically exhausted to enjoy time with my kids and take care of their needs to my best ability.

Donnie making a messA big concern for me is that my son would be spending more time with a paid worker than with one of his own parents.  They say that a child's personality and character develops as a result of how they were raised in the earliest years of life and so during this very short window of time, I think it's best that my husband and I be the primary guides on morals, behavior, etc.  I don't want someone else to do my job while I'm miserable earning just enough to pay them to do what I would be happy doing.

My husband works very HARD every single day at his job and although his work is not physically demanding it can be mentally exhausting.  It makes me happy to be able to make home cooked meals for him and my son and also to be the wife and mother that I expect myself to be.  By being a stay at home mom I'm not only caring for my son I'm also more present and there for my husband.

It's shocking how many people make the assumption that stay at home moms are “being put in their place” or that they are just pressured to take on the traditional role of a woman.  I in no way feel like a “servant” or that I am any less of a person because I'm the one staying home to care for my son.  My job is as equally important as my husband's.  We are a team and raising a child takes a lot of work and I am proud that I can say I am a stay at home mom.

A mother should not feel as though she has to choose between the corporate world or her children.
Donnie on the swingI've chosen to be a stay at home mom because it's the right choice for my family and I.  We all have to make choices in our parenting and sometimes it's difficult.  Some parents may feel differently than I do and that's ok.  Everyone parents their children in the best way that they see fit.

I have returned to work.  It's not in an office answering phone calls or analyzing data in excel sheets in a small cubicle like I did for years before.  This is the most important job I could have ever taken on.  I'm certainly not perfect but I'm doing my very best to be everything that my son needs me to be.

I love to hear back from my readers so please feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below. 🙂

_________________________
Hi there! I'm Michelle!
Welcome to Dishes & Dust Bunnies where I share recipes, tips and hints to help make this messy chaotic life as a mom just a little easier! Learn more >>
_________________________

Primary Sidebar

Hi there, I'm Michelle!

Welcome to Dishes & Dust Bunnies where I share recipes, tips and hints to help make this messy chaotic life as a mom just a little easier! Learn more >>

Subscribe to get a free eCookbook with my Top 30 Recipes!
____________________________
Get the latest from Dishes & Dust Bunnies delivered right to your inbox :)

Footer

Follow me!

Dishes & Dust Bunnies

About
Sponsored Content
Media Mentions
FAQs
Contact

Explore

Recipes

For Bloggers

Blogging
Dishes & Dust Bunnies

Privacy Policy - Disclosure
Copyright © 2023 DishesAndDustBunnies.com

Sign up for email updates and get a free eCookbook with my top 25 recipes!
Sign up for email updates and get Top 25 Recipes from Dishes & Dust Bunnies eCookbook FREE!
We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe.
Subscribe to get a free eCookbook with my Top 25 Recipes!
____________________________
Get the latest from Dishes & Dust Bunnies delivered right to your inbox :)
GET IT NOW
.
Did you make this recipe?

Tag @dishesanddustbunnies on Instagram and hashtag it #dishesanddustbunnies

Hi there! This is a message to my readers about the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle. Please check out my post 10 Reasons Why you NEED The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle
Enter your name and email below and I'll send you my free printable Cooking Conversions Chart!
Plus, you'll get FREE email updates whenever a new post is published to Dishes & Dust Bunnies!
Thanks so much!
Your free printable is on it's way!
If you don't see an email from me (Michelle Dunster) within a couple of minutes, be sure to check your spam folder just in case it landed in there!
Subscribe to get a free eCookbook with my Top 25 Recipes!
____________________________
Get the latest from Dishes & Dust Bunnies delivered right to your inbox :)
Get the latest from Dishes & Dust Bunnies delivered right to your inbox!

As thanks, I'll send you a free eCookbook with my Top 25 Recipes! :)

This training has ended. No worries though, I'd love to let you know when new ones are available.
If you don't want to miss out on future trainings or webinars enter your email below and I'll make sure you're the first to know when any new ones are available!
Unfortunately this year's Genius Blogger's Tool Kit sale has ended. The good news is that a new Tool Kit becomes available each year (and occasionally, the current year’s Tool Kit will be offered up again during a flash sale).

If you don’t want to miss out on future opportunities to purchase the Genius Bloggers Tool Kit, enter your email below and I’ll make sure you’re the first to hear when future Tool Kits go live!
Unfortunately enrollment for Elite Blog Academy is currently closed. In order to best serve their students, the doors to EBA are only open for a short time each year.

So you don’t miss out on future opportunities to join EBA, enter your email below and I’ll make sure you’re the first to hear when registration opens again!
Don't forget to like us on Facebook!
Subscribe to get a free eCookbook with my Top 30 Recipes!
____________________________
Get the latest from Dishes & Dust Bunnies delivered right to your inbox :)
_________________________
Hi there! I'm Michelle!
Welcome to Dishes & Dust Bunnies where I share recipes, tips and hints to help make this messy chaotic life as a mom just a little easier! Learn more >>
_________________________
Subscribe to get a free eCookbook with my Top 30 Recipes!
____________________________
Get the latest from Dishes & Dust Bunnies delivered right to your inbox :)
Subscribe to get a free eCookbook with my Top 30 Recipes!
____________________________
Get the latest from Dishes & Dust Bunnies delivered right to your inbox :)
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.
Need more a bit more help getting started? No worries!
I'm in the process of updating this page to give you more info on getting your blog up and running! I'd love to let you know when I update this page!
Enter your email below and I'll let you know when this page is updated!