Sacrificing my career to raise children

I have been a SAHM since having our first son 6 years ago, we now have 3 children and the youngest is nearly 2. I was in a great job, using my uni degree, before I left to have my son. My husband and I made the conscious decision that I would stay at home with the children, this was also my ideal situation and I am so pleased we have been able to afford for me to do this. I won’t go back to work until our youngest is in school but I would still like to be home for the children before and after school, which does make finding employment difficult to fit those hours. I have seen many friends put their children in to daycare at a young age, many of them had to do this for their financial stability and some chose to go back to keep their ‘foot in the door’ with their careers. I sometimes worry that I might struggle to get back in to the workforce, I have been out of work for 6 years now and I know a lot has changed since I left the sector I worked in, it will be even longer by the time I am needing to find work. I studied to get my degree and I wouldn’t go back and change that, even though I only finished paying off my HECS just before I left to have my first baby. I don’t know many people in my position, I do feel fortunate that I have been able to raise my babies but I am also conscious of the hard road that may lie ahead for me when I do need to gain employment again. I guess I need to be thankful that I was able to follow my heart and we were also financially comfortable while I took all this time off work, I just know that a sacrifice is made for all mum’s in some way or another and we will always have some guilt, concerns and worry over the choices we have made, whether that be a SAHM or going back to the workplace.

Posted anonymously, 26th August 2019