We’ve probably all seen more time at home in the past year than we ever planned to. But pre-pandemic and, Lord willing, post-pandemic, our family chooses home in a few strategic ways that shape our family culture.
Being a Stay-At-Home Mom
In 2016 I transitioned to being a stay-at-home mom with our three oldest kids who had all joined our family over the previous 14 months. Thanks to flexibility with my job, I was able to continue working part-time from home that year. By 2017, I had transitioned all of my duties to other people so that I could fully leave in preparation for our 4th child’s arrival. Making the choice to leave was emotionally difficult, but I knew that being home with my kids was a priority for our family.
As many of you know, choosing to stay home with your kids full time means you’re there for everything. Every milestone, every tantrum, every diaper change. Currently, my kids at home range in age from 2 to 5 years. Just in the 4 hours they’ve been up this morning there have been spills, costume changes, howling laughter, shrieking, tears, projectiles, reminders, arguments, apologies, art, snacks, YouTube, and scattered toys. It’s not even lunchtime. Choosing home instead of the workplace was a conscious decision that has a significant impact on our family.
Homeschooling
My husband and I decided to homeschool before we became parents. Neither of us was homeschooled, but we found a lot of value in that lifestyle and planned to do that for our kids. Our oldest was homeschooled from the time of his adoption until he graduated. Our little four are not yet compulsory school age, so technically they’re not homeschooled, but we have chosen not to put them in preschool settings, which has become an unusual choice in our society. Homeschooling gives us autonomy as a family. We decide when and how we will engage our interests. Learning takes place at all hours (just as it does for those who choose other school options), and we have more availability to follow rabbit trails as far as we want.
Eating At Home
So much of what I do as a mom revolves around eating. Meal planning, grocery orders, cooking, cleaning up after meals and snacks, etc. Eating at home is somewhat of an easy choice for us. It’s challenging to eat in a restaurant with four little (LOUD) people. There aren’t too many restaurants within 15 minutes of our house either, so it’s not an easy out like it is for some. By choosing to eat at home we save a good bit of money. We spend plenty on groceries, and we budget for a couple of restaurant meals a month, but if we chose fast food or other dining options more frequently, our budget would be busted! Making conscious decisions to say no to drive-thru temptations when we’re out and about enables us to put more money towards the things we really care about.
