Being a stay at home mom is one of the most rewarding things I have done. I get to be here for my children 24/7, I get to share in their day to day lives, I get to witness each milestone and set back, and I get to build memories that will last a lifetime.

Yet, there are times when I cannot help feeling guilty over my choice to give up the two income family. I wonder if my choice will make my partner resent me and our family structure. The pangs of guilt creep up from time to time. When I buy the food that only I like to eat, or when I drive across town to visit with friends, or even when the house is not clean though I have been home all day. The guilt makes me wonder if I should be doing more, trying to earn extra money on my own, or if I should give up my choice and submit to the standards set all around me.

We will never afford a brand new car, or to own a huge house, or to be able to go on vacation each summer. In fact there are some weeks when we cannot afford extra gas for the car to be able to go anywhere. It can be nerve racking when every day I am assaulted with advertisements telling me that we are only as good as the wide screen TV set we own yet we can barely afford to have the cable on. I begin to feel guilty, to feel like a burden for simply wanting to raise my children.

I am sure many other mothers who choose to stay home feel the same way from time to time. With so much focus on earning more money choosing to do something that earns no money at all can seem insane to some. But each time I begin to feel guilty I look at my children and think about how they are getting 100% of me now when they need it. And to me that is more important that any paycheck.

Learn more about this author, Summer Minor.
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