The Benefits of Being a Stay-at-Home Mom
Disclosure: I may get commissions for purchases made through links on this post at no additional cost to you.
Even though I could have pursued a master’s degree to become a therapist, I chose to settle with a bachelor’s degree and be a stay-at-home mom.
While this energy-draining job is hard and doesn’t bring in any income, I am so glad I chose to do it. The benefits of being a stay-at-home mom definitely outweigh the cons.
There are too many voices telling us that being a stay-at-home mom is degrading and that women should do more with their lives. But what better way to spend your life than by giving your children a life full of joy and growth?
(Note: This blogpost is made for mothers who want to know the benefits of being a stay-at-home mom or who have chosen to be a stay-at-home mom. This is not to degrade or diminish those moms who choose to go to work while being a parent.)
What is a Stay-at-Home Mom?
A stay-at-home mom (SAHM) is more than someone who babysits all day without getting paid.
A SAHM is a mother who is devoted to the growth, nurture, and care of her children.
She chooses to be the one to take care of them all day so that she can provide a safe environment, healthy food, and uplifting activities.
She is the one who is their main source of emotional and physical support.
She makes her family’s home a place of safety and peace, even if it isn’t always tidy.
She sacrifices much of her energy, time, talents, and enjoyments to the happiness and health of her children.
A SAHM is there when her kids leave for school, and is there to welcome them home.
A stay-at-home mom may not stay in the same place all day, but she chooses to stay with her children.
“Stay-at-Home Mom” I feel is a bit misnamed because a “Stay-at-Home Mom” is on the move all the time and if she takes her job seriously, she is not sitting around eating bon bons, watching soap operas, or picking her toenails.
Susan Arter-Muir
Should I be a Stay-at-Home Mom?
Should you be a stay-at-home mom? Before you answer that question, please remember that every family situation is different, and every mom is different. Therefore, you need to talk with God and make the decision that is best for your family.
This decision needs to be made with the needs of every family member (including you!) in mind and the will of God.
If you feel like being a stay-at-home mom is right for you and your family or you want to know the perks of this choice, then you are in the right place!
The purpose of this blogpost is to help you know all the benefits of being a stay at home mom. I also want to help you let go of any stay at home mom guilt you may have.
Stay-at-Home Mom Guilt
I know that it is all too easy to feel stay-at-home mom guilt.
Does this story sound familiar?
You and your husband decided that it would be best if you stayed home with the kids while he went to work and earn money for the family.
You were happy with the idea, but now you feel guilty. Your husband is working hard to make sure you have the food, clothes, housing, and other items you all need.
And what are you doing? You are the one spending that money and being a consumer instead of a contributor to your finances.
How can you live with yourself knowing that you are taking everything that your husband has earned? What does he get out of it? Doesn’t he feel gypped?
And what about your children? Don’t they deserve better? They could be with a professional caretaker who will actually teach them something useful every day. Not to mention they would be with a stable human who won’t break down because of the emotional and mental stresses that come with parenting all day long.
If this is your story, please accept my virtual hug to you right now. You are not alone in feeling this way.
If God has let you know that He wants you to be a stay-at-home mom, then you have zero reasons to feel SAHM guilt. Doing God’s will is the best thing you can do with your life, so let yourself be happy that you are trying to please Him rather than the world.
You might also enjoy: No Such Thing as “Just a Mom“
Having this time with your children is not a choice to be guilty of, but a gift to be appreciated.
Now let’s check out the benefits of being a SAHM to get rid of that stay-at-home mom guilt.
10 Benefits of Being a Stay-at Home Mom
There are countless benefits of being a stay-at-home mom! While it is a very emotionally and physically draining job, it is also one of the most rewarding things you can do.
Many of the benefits listed below come from stay-at-home moms, husbands of stay-at-home moms, and children of stay-at-home moms.
1) No one can love your child like you can
Aside from your husband and Heavenly Father, there is no one else who can love your children like you can.
Many years ago, My grandmother was a preschool teacher at a daycare. She said many of those children were away from a parent for the better part of 10 hours each day. My grandma could sense that those children needed love, and not just the surface-level love that she and the other caretakers could offer. They needed a deep and lasting love that can only come from a parent.
Because of this experience, my grandma turned down a big promotion at the daycare to be a mother who would stay at home with her children. She told me:
I cared about each child there. [But] no amount of love I had for those children matched up to the love I had for my own children…No day care, no matter how fine, can or will be a replacement for home and own parent or parents.
Susan Arter-Muir
2) Stability and security for the children
I asked my sister why she was glad that our mom chose to be a SAHM instead of a working mom. She said it was nice to have a parent available all the time to meet our needs. Then when our needs increased over time, we could trust our mom since she had always been there for us.
Children need stability and a sense of security to thrive, and one of the best ways to do that is by being a stay-at-home mom.
When you are consistently present with your child every day, they will know that they can rely on you and trust you. Growing up feeling secure and able to trust will help them learn how to develop healthy relationships in the future.
3) YOU get to raise your children
Another benefit of being a a stay-at-home mom is that you have the main say in how your children are raised and can choose how you will parent.
When you are with your children more, you can more easily instill your own values into them. You can be the one to decide how to teach them about God and Jesus Christ. You can be the one to help them learn important social and emotional skills. As a stay-at-home mom, you can be the one to comfort your child and be present when they need you.
Parenting is so much more than just discipline and making sure the kids stay alive. I love what my friend, April (a wonderful mom of six kids), said about being a stay-at-home mom:
[As a stay-at-home mom,] I am there for the moments big and small.
April bushman
Big moments like first steps and first words, school programs and sports games.
Small moments like snuggles on the couch while watching movies, family game nights and meal times, homework evenings and lazy mornings or busy shopping trips.
I’m there for the good moments that build relationships and laughter and love.
I’m there for the hard moments that shape us, the fits and the tears and the needs. The things that forge deeper bonds and test relationships and eventually make them stronger. As hard as those moments are, who would you want to deal them more than you?
And when the tears dry and the lullabies are sung, who else would you like to sing them but you?
If you feel eating healthy is important you can be there to cook. Or if reading is important you can be there for stories. Or if exercise if your thing then mornings at the park may be your cup of tea.
Whatever it is, you are there to influence, to shape, to love. To intentionally and lovingly parent.
You are there in the cross roads and there along the way.
4) Countless teaching opportunities
When you are with your child all day (minus school), you have many more teaching opportunities. A broken toy could turn into a lesson about being gentle and kind. Being bullied at school could turn into a discussion about how to stand up for yourself.
Not only will there be more opportunities to teach your child, but you will have more energy and ability to teach them since you aren’t only seeing them after a long day at work. (Although parenting is just as tiring!)
5) You get to make more memories with your children
Just the memories alone I make with my children makes being a stay-at-home mom worth it. Here are a few of the memories I love making with my children:
I love watching them grow, learn, and remember things I have taught them.
I love seeing my girls learn how to get along.
I love leaving the dishes to read to my children on the couch under a blanket.
I love the outings and playdates I have with my children.
I love doing chores with my children!
I love recording the cute and funny things they say.
I love being their playmate.
I love that my children are involved in the everyday parts of my life.
My mother told me that one of the benefits of being a stay-at-home mom is the simple yet happy memories. Some of these memories included bath time, doing her daughters’ hair in front of the TV, cuddles, outings, story time, baking together, and scripture study.
Allow yourself to enjoy these seemingly mundane things because they may be the main things you remember about parenthood!
You might also enjoy: Time With Your Kids: Is it Really Worth it?
6) You are doing what God wants you to do
I’m not saying that being a working mom is against God’s commandments. But if He has guided you to be a stay-at-home mom, you can rest knowing you are doing His will.
You are also raising and teaching God’s children, not just your own children. He cares about them even more than you do (which I know is a lot!)
7) Personal growth
I have had many opportunities for growth while being a SAHM.
I have had to make a lot of sacrifices and am constantly learning how to be more patient, loving, kind, and compassionate. Being with your kids all day requires a large amount of selflessness while making sure you are still taking care of yourself.
As a SAHM, I have been learning how to manage mom anger, how to love my family even when I am hungry and tired, and (above all) how to rely on my Heavenly Father for help and strength.
Being a stay-at-home mom is a very emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually taxing job. But you will grow in all those areas if you rely on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for help.
As you rely on Them throughout motherhood, you can become the strongest and best version of yourself.
You might also enjoy: Self-Love Exercises for Christian Moms
8) You are saving your family money
Dave Ramsey and others on the Dave Ramsey Show said that stay-at-home moms are a great financial asset and should not feel guilty for staying home with the kids.
You are saving your family an immense amount of money by taking care of your kids, making meals, cleaning your house, running errands, and more! So please let go of any SAHM guilt you may have because of money.
My friend, April, also talked about how her decision to be a stay-at-home mom in regards to finances:
Being a stay-at-home mom is an amazing blessing for me and my family. And not many mothers get the opportunity to choose with today’s economy. That being said…we sacrifice a lot [so that] I can stay home. But we gain so much more than we sacrifice.
April Bushman
First of all, childcare with six kids would be astronomical. By staying home we save more than I could ever earn. Even more important than the money, I am there for the moments big and small…
I wouldn’t give it up for any career or any amount of money. It’s not easy, but it is worth it 1000%.
9) You get to create a house of God for your family to live in
This is one benefit of being a SAHM that many people overlook. You have the beautiful opportunity to create the environment your kids will live in. While you can’t always change the house you are in, you have a big part in making it into a home.
You have a big say in the organization, cleanliness, decoration, and overall feel of your home.
You can make it a place where the Holy Ghost can dwell and where your children learn about Jesus.
You can make it a place where your family laughs, plays, and has fun together.
You can make your home a place that is a refuge from the chaos of the world.
You can make your home a place of love and compassion.
You can make your home a place where your children find security and belonging.
10) A chance to develop at-home hobbies
Just because you are a stay-at-home mom doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything but clean and parent! You have the opportunity to develop some of your own hobbies and talents!
In her book, Create Anyway, Ashlee Gadd says it is important that you feed your soul by creating. Whether it be painting, creating music, making a wreath, sewing a blanket, decorating your house, or baking a cake, you need to create.
Whether it is while the kids are napping, while they’re awake and wanting to work on their own hobbies, or while your husband is available to watch the kids, you can get creative!
This is a luxury that you would struggle to find time for if you had a paid job and were parenting at the same time.
My grandmother painted portraits as a stay-at-home mom. While she lacked the money necessary to further her talents, God blessed her and she was able to take a portrait class and obtain some supplies as gifts. She blessed the lives of many (including herself) with her artwork, as well as the lives of her family by bringing in some income while staying at home.
So find out how God can use your talents to bless the lives of you, your family, and those around you!
It’s Not Easy, But it’s Worth it!
Being a SAHM is not easy, but it is worth it! The benefits of being a stay-at-home mom far outweigh the costs. Of course, there are good reasons for a mom to go to work. But being emotionally and physically available each day for your children will help them in numerous ways in their growth and emotional development.
If you are struggling to find joy in motherhood or are feeling SAHM guilt, pray to your Heavenly Father for comfort and guidance. He loves you and can help you know how you can experience the journey of motherhood with joy.
Now go make memories with your children and enjoy the time you have with them now!
This was a brave thing to talk about in the world we live in. But what an important voice to hear!! Thank you!!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!