Stayed home with my kids for over 15 years. I just could NOT stick them in some stinky smelly daycare center and allow them to turn into mushy-headed ill behaved cretins. I gave up a HUGE career to do it. Looking back, these were the BEST days of my life.
I was an engineer, and gave it up. My daughters are sixteen, and I’ve recommended to them to find a job that will allow them flexibility. I would not go into engineering now without also getting a teaching certificate. I think I would go into the medical field like speech or occupational therapy.
And now I am back in the cubicle maze after many years of raising my girls. I'm bored and frustrated. Life in my little 4-walled prison is not nearly as gratifying and meaningful as were my days making mudpies (and real ones).
Those who delight in their "chopstick lunches" have no idea what they are missing.