Q&A:Stay-At-Home Moms vs. Working Moms

Hi Crystal, I don't know if this is the right place to post my comment, but your goals and this topic brought up a point I had regarding your takes on being a stay at home mother versus working mothers. From your website, your new position with The Homeschool Magazine as a Marketing Manager, and this blog, you seem to be driven to being business savvy and entreprenurial (apologize for spelling if incorrectly spelled). I'm not saying that it's bad or wrong, but I would like to know how much of the business Jesse does and how much you do.

Also, how does this differ from mothers who work at an office? A mother who works at home is still a working mother. She still takes time away from her family to deal with the business matters and you still have to make sacrifices to meet the demands of the consumers. A business is a business, no matter what the product being sold is. Is this something you intend to continue as Kathryn gets older and you have more children? And when Jesse gets his own practice or professional job being a lawyer?

I am only curious because I am researching whether or not I should start a home business when I have children or a family of my own rather than working from an office. But is staying home and working enough? - Meme

Hi, Meme! Thanks for your question. Some of these are issues that I grapple with on an almost weekly basis. Yes, I am probably what you could call "business-savvy" and am definitely entreprenuerial-minded, though this is mostly just by nature, not something I neccessarily set out to be. Ever since I was a young girl, I've always found various creative ways to earn extra money. When Jesse and I got married and moved to a completely unfamiliar town and he began law school, things were extremely tight financially for us. We had committed to doing everything possible to stay out of debt, but we had no idea how we would survive three years of law school on Jesse's part-time income. I began praying for the Lord to give me ways to earn extra money from home.

Since then, I've learned a lot (and continue to learn!) , done a lot of different things (some which flopped on their face!) and God has opened up a lot of doors. I know it is only God's blessing, not anything that I have done or am. God has been so faithful to provide for us and take care of us -- way beyond my wildest imaginations!

I am now at a point where I have more from-home job opportunities than I have time for, and, I confess that it is often hard for me to sort through what is God's will for me to do and how to have proper priorities. I love being a wife and mother and always want that to be my top priority. But, at this point in time, I am able to help relieve a huge burden off of my husband's shoulders by contributing to our family financially.

My husband and I pray about this and talk about this a lot. I want his priorities for me to be my priorities. I don't want my family to suffer in any way. As soon as Jesse is through with law school and begins his "real" job, I will definitely be cutting back on working from home. I enjoy what I do, but I know that continuing on in the same capacity that I am currently in with our business and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine is not possible. I have much more time right now to be doing these things since I only have one young daughter, but as we have more children and they grow older, my time and energies will be needed elsewhere. I'm not exactly sure what the future holds in this regard, but I trust the Lord to lead and guide me through my husband!

My encouragement is this: If the choice is between you working from home or working from an office, definitely choose working from home. With the internet, the possibilities out there for working from home are almost limitless and the income-earning possibilities are amazing! You can earn a much better income from home than a traditional office job and you will also save a LOT of money in the process, too (if you are wise in how you spend your money.). If you are willing to put forth the time and effort, you can have a very successful business.

That said, women need to especially be careful to not develop a "career mentality" even while working from home. It is so easy to get side-tracked and lose our focus. Don't let a home business do this to you! Continually be going to the Lord and your husband for counsel and direction. This is one reason I am a strong promoter of family businesses instead of a woman having her own independent business. This is the direction Jesse and I are hoping to move in, especially as our children grow older. We'll see where God leads. -Crystal

Crystal Paine is a 24-year-old homeschool graduate from Topeka, Kansas. She is the blessed wife of Jesse and joyful mother of Kathrynne. Visit her site, Biblical Womanhood, for books, articles, encouragement, and inspiration!

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