Currently, we have a 3year old little girl and a baby boy due this December. We aren't worried about daycare or a sitter as I work first shift and he works second so someone is always home. And our 3year old will be starting her first year of preschool this August.

Now that that is out of the way, I was wondering how many of you will be staying at home with your lil ones, or will you continue to work? And if you did decide to stay home, was the descision mutual or did one want it more than the other?

I'm asking because my partner really wants me to be a stahm, but I don't. I love to work and bring in a paycheck every week knowing that I'm able to help financially and if for some reason we don't work out years down the road, I won't have to worry about "how will I support my kids?". But also, I've been working since the day I turned 16. I've never not had a job and never had to depend on someone else for an income or support, so it's all very new and hard for me. I understand his reasonings though. Before I met him, when my daughter was a baby, I never had any help. I worked 40hours a week during the day and when I got out I went to school for 30 hours a week at night monday-friday (I was going to cosmetology school). So between work and school, I missed a lot of major milestones of my daughter growing up like her first steps and first words. It was really hard as I was 19, but I knew what I was doing was only going to better her future.

He said that if I wanted, I could go back to college so I wouldn't feel like I'm not doing anything other than being a stahm. I really want to go back to school and I know that this time I wouldn't be able to if I was still working as we moved to a new town 7months ago and because I'm a homebody, I don't know anyone. My family and friends don't live as close, so it would be a hassle finding a sitter and I don't trust anyone else to watch my kids besides them. But at the same time, I love working and bringing in an income and without me working as well, our budget would definitely get really tight and I fear of how we will make ends meet with all the expenses. He keeps assuring me that we can do it and he will work extra hours during the week if he has too, but he does so much already I would hate to put that kind of stress on him.

I just really need to hear other peoples expeirences, aside from the usual comments "being a stahm was the vest choice I ever made" or "I love being able to watch my kids learn and grow everyday", because not that I don't agree with that, it's just not the kind of feedback I'm looking for. I'm interested in hearing about how you made it financially, was it hard adjusting for you, if you love to work like me and is really stubborn (more like set in your ways), did you take that time to go back to school, or not.

I'm sorry this is so long, this is just an extremely hard descision for me and I just really need some encouraging stories.