I stayed home to raise my children from 1985 til just recently. I have been criticized and treated like a second class citizen because of it.
I am college educated, and am just now starting to work. It is NOT easy. Maybe I'm just a little ahead of my time. It was worth it. Got two almost adult kids NO MAJOR PROBLEMS.
I have friends who are single mothers. Would not want to be in their shoes to save myself. They are tired, drained ALL OF THE TIME.
YOU DID IT RIGHT!!!!!!
My wife has been “Stay at home” for about ten years now. At first when we went places and people asked her what she did, she got some funny looks and even some put downs about “that being all she could do.” I stayed right by her side at a party, until I saw the tactic, and when they asked what she did, my response was, “Oh, she doesn’t have to work.” You should have seen the looks on the former catty working women’s faces, then they all started discussing what toys their salaries went for (boats, cars, etc) they decided they were all working to pay for toys mostly used by their husbands. It was and is priceless, we use that response still.
BTW, My wife graduated college as a Medical Technologist with honors, and is a member of the Association for Clinical Pathologists (ASCP).
I did it too. Got a lot of flak. Homeschooled as well. I LOVED watching my child grow and change, interacting with him. I wouldn't trade it for all the career-glory in the world. And now I am using my education and have a wonderful job. (What's so radical about this? Honestly.)