Staying Home: From Full-Time Professional to Full-Time Parent

by Darcie Sanders, Martha M. Bullen

This practical guide helps women through the emotional transition from working-world career to stay-at-home parent. Seasoned with plenty of practical advice, this reassuring guide explores every facet of the transition, from making the decision to feeling comfortable at home.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction

239 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2001

Reviews

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. I am not expecting, but do plan on having children at some point in the (relatively) near future. While this book was published in the 90's, so some of the cultural issues and resources are outdated, it was an easy to read, good look at what the decision to stay at home will mean. Unlike some other books, this book is written for the woman who has decided to or is very strongly considering staying home. It was a beneficial read because it did point out some of the difficulties stay at home moms face. For instance, the loss of identity in a career, the psychological difficulty of having most or all of the mother's "job" undo itself every day or even multiple times a day, financial issues, and the differences in how others react to the mother. It also addressed the difficulty that stay at home and working mothers face in that each can see an implied disapproval of parenting skills in the other's parenting choice.

All in all, I think this is certainly a good book for any woman who is considering staying at home to read. Also, as the child of a woman who decided to become a stay at home mother in the late 80's, this gave me a huge appreciation of my mother (and father). I realize that the 80's were a decade of materialism that bled into the 90's, and the choice to stay at home was not always looked on favorably by society. Both of my parents sacrificed quite a bit to make the choice for my mother to stay home, and I am even more thankful for that after reading this book.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This helped me to think through the reasons I wanted to stay home with Jane and to formulate a new "job description" for myself to keep me from going insane during the first several months. Sanders encouraged me to find ways to develop my interests and to create "off the clock" time for myself - which have both been important. She also reminded me that I don't have to do everything I want to do during every season of my life... spending more time with my kids when they're little is going to mean sacrificing other things temporarily.

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read on making the transition from a full time professional to a stay at home parent. Very validating statistics, etc - and very good advice and things to consider and think about as you transition. I especially liked the sections about "deciding what your job is" - i.e., it's okay not to be a chauffeur or a maid, etc, but to have valid interests outside of full time parenting.

The book is older - published in 1992 - so a lot of the resources section is out to date. Also, the salary references and the legal aspects of maternity leave, etc are out of date.

The books does work on the premise that you have made the decision to stay home, so it isn't necessarily for someone trying to decide and weigh pros/cons, but really is for someone who has already decided to leave the workforce to parent full time.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding myself doing something I would never have dreamed I would do (or would've said I wanted to do if asked 10 years ago), this book really opened my eyes to how many professional/educated/fast-track women find themselves in the same spot after having children. It was wonderful to read the many stories of how women chose to balance or change their career tracks in favor of their families, and it opened my eyes a bit to the fact that being a full-time parent does not indicate a loss of feminist persuasion.

[Jerianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll go back and read this again after the baby comes.