Why are you the SAHP...

[onlyzombiecat]

and your partner is not?
(for those with partners... if you don't have a partner I guess the question is already answered.)

[Sylith]

My earning potential is less. (And we are not exactly raking in the cash as it is, heh.)

Also, I lactate.

[AJP]

Originally Posted by Sylith

My earning potential is less. (And we are not exactly raking in the cash as it is, heh.)

Also, I lactate.

:

Plus, I don't really enjoy working but hubby does - I mean the kind of work and structure involved in a "job", I always felt like I just wanted to get it over with so I could go back to my real life, whereas he gets fulfillment from the actual work. I've always yearned to be at home, after I got past the point of suppressing that feeling and thinking something was wrong with me because I wasn't inspired to have a "career". For years I thought I was just plain lazy.

[Greaseball]

I believe it makes biological sense for the mother to be the SAHP.

My dh has higher earning potential.

I want to homeschool.

I believe it's where I'm supposed to be.

[SmilingChick]

#1 I'm breastfeeding.

#2 DH makes 2x what I made.

#3 I can do my work from home - I'm a writer, have one book coming out next month and am working on #2.

DH would absolutely love to be home though. We always joke that he would make a better SAHM than me, other than his failure to lactate!

[UnschoolnMa]

Dh has higher earning potential

I have a chronic illness that can get pretty ugly without a moments notice.

I enjoy being at home, for the most part.

[Mothra]

My husband is in the military. My earning potential was higher until a few years ago, but not when you included health insurance. Also, I like staying home and my husband wouldn't, at least not long term.

Ideally, we'd be able to switch off or both work part time. That will probably happen down the road, but not until our kids are older. I think it would be more beneficial now, but that just isn't in the cards for us.

[hlkm2e]

I seem to be with everyone else, nursing and money.

[Red Sonja]

It was a tough decision for us, mainly because I made twice as much as DH.

First of all my job was very stressful and it was taking a toll on our relationship. I was a nuclear engineer that worked rotating shifts - 7 day weeks usually 12 (sometimes up to 16) hours a day, 2 days off, then back to work at a different time. The money was nice but, as we quickly learned, money wasn't everything.

I have some medical issues that were costing us $100 - $200 a month in prescription copays for my medicines, and I am still on meds but now also get treatments that would cost us ~$5000 every 3 months.

DH is in the Navy and will be able to retire in just over 7 years. Military medical covers my treatments (which surprised me) and we will be able to keep the medical coverage (with a copay) after he retires. We will also be able to keep the prescription coverage (either free if we are near a base or cheap at regular pharmacies) - considering some of my meds cost over $300 for a month's supply this was a big bonus. Also his retirement pay, while not huge, will cover a mortgage payment.

Starting in January I will be working on my Master's degree. I found a good university that offers accredited Radiological Physics and Nuclear Engineering graduate programs via distance education, so I can take one or two classes a semester from home. (Yes, I'm a science geek )

After DH retires then I will go back to work and he will either stay home, go to college, go to work full time, or freelance with my dad - whatever he feels like at the time. The downside to this is that he goes to sea for months at a time (he's a submariner) and will miss parts of DS' life.

It was not an easy decision but it was the right one for our family, which is what's important.

[treemom2]

I stay home because I am nursing. I also stay home because DH job is more marketable and we have to make sure we have a job before we move (which seems to be about every year or two)

[Elphaba]

...

[sunnmama]

I love being a SAHP.
Dh says that he would hate it.

Easy decision!

[streetkitty]

# 1 Nursing
# 2 While DH enjoys spending time with the tot, I prefer it and can handle it. I am way more social and a better multi-tasker- and make a better SAHP than he would.

I WAS the breadwinner. Now roles have reversed and it's just fine with me!

[Momtwice]

Because at this time, it would hurt like a knife in the gut if I had to go back to paid outside full time work away from my kids, while dh does not feel that way about paid-outside-the-home-work.

And money. And a while back, nursing.

[Ragana]

Reverse situation, similar reasons. Money seems to be a big one.

I am the "working" spouse - I had a full-time job with a work permit when we lived overseas, where DD1 was born, and DH didn't. It didn't make sense for him to freelance for 12-14 hrs. a day to make what I was making with a more secure job, plus I kept getting raises and had better health insurance. I also have an MA in my field and a career-type job, now freelance, whereas he was doing a temporary-type job.

DH loves to stay at home, and I love my career, although I love working from my home office so that I can be with my family more. He is also interested in education as a career - what better preparation could there be?

By the way, pumping at the office did suck and so did leaving a tiny 3-mo. old baby every morning. The second time I was already freelance with a home office, so that made both of those issues easier.

PS Thanks for putting up with my posts here even though we are a SAHD/WAHM family instead of SAHM/WOHD. Reading your posts gives me better insight into DH's situation.

[cozymama]

..

[zannster]

1 - DF has more earning potential than me. Big time.
2 - He enjoys his work (and I don't). While I'm not sure if being a SAHM all the time suits me, it's better than any job I've had. Finding something in this town in my field is unlikely anyway.
3 - Nursing. I hate pumping and DS doesn't care for the bottle.
4 - DF doesn't have the patience to be with DS all day. Plus DS just likes me better right now.

[phathui5]

Because I'm nursing. I'm going to be the one homeschooling ds starting this fall. And really, between the two of us, I'm the one who'd rather do it.

[TEAK's Mom]

I'm the SAHP because I want to be more than anything. Before dd1 was born, I was convinced that I would go back to work full-time. It wasn't that I loved my job, I just thought that the money was that important. Then she was born and I couldn't bear to do it. I did end up going back 25 hours and week and it just didn't get easier. After a lot of wrangling and negotiation, I quit when dd2 was born and here I am. It's hard, but I'm happy and never bored.

Dh feels about his job the way I feel about being home. He loves it and is so very good at it. I'm glad because I wouldn't feel as good being here if his work was just a job.

Thanks for reminding me how lucky I am.

[edamommy]

boobs... I have them and he doesn't. LOL