What reactions did you get?

I'm stopping work in a month, and taking at least next school year off (I teach). Most everyone's reactions have been positive-- especially the older women are very supportive, like they secretly think it's the best thing to do, and how they did it, and how "you can't get that time back" etc etc. I think some younger folks (men and women) might be a tad envious but they mostly just express that they are impressed (like, by the amount of time-- most teachers try for spring babes and take the end of the year and summer off, but return in late August-- or that we can manage to do it-- this is where I'm picking up on slight undertones of envy). And then there's my MIL-- she talks now about how I have a month left of work and then "18 years off!" She stayed home all her life (she does help with FIL's business at times) and never had a real "career" so it's very supportive, but I wish I could feel as confident that I really can stay home for good! (which I wil do if we find we can afford it-- right now we're taking it step by step).

So overall that's pretty supportive. Not even any neg comments from fellow teachers/friends who are due the same time as me, or have recently had babes and are having more... everyone has at least been too polite to say anything

Maybe the US is different on this point, compared to Europe- it sounds wonderful with all the positive reactions. Here most people find it very strange that I would put my education on hold like that and that I will wait until dd is that old (3 yrs ) before putting her in kindergarten. It's as if they picture her locked in the house without contact to anyone but me...

I haven't gotten any negative responses at all. I quit working in August and most of my coworkers were jealous. Even my neighbor who is an office manager for a big lawfirm ($$$$) said that she couldn't do it (likes her toys too much), but she thought it was great that I did.

I'm not on a 2.5 year leave, either. I'm home.

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Just out of curiosity, where do you live in Europe? Dh is from Europe and I've lived in two different countries and visited most of the rest of them (in the West) and I've always seen that everywhere in Europe everyone is very supportive (even encouraging) of mothers staying at home. My dh was very supportive (of course all of the women in his family are sahms) even though I was making about 70k/yr. when I quit. I'm just really, very surprised to hear that anywhere in Europe would be less sympathetic to SAHMs than the US. These are generalizations, of course, and every individual situation is different. Does it make a difference there that it's your education and not your career that you are putting on hold?

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I'm from Denmark. I'm sure that me taking 2.5 yrs leave from my education, has people thinking that the next step will be me dropping out, but I have heard from several SAHMs that people "don't get it"- why would anyone want to do something as boring as staying at home looking after kids for so long... There is more prestige in being a career-woman, SAH is too old fashioned and unambitious in the eyes of most people here.