The estimate did not look at how much we save by staying home in areas of car, gas, clothing, convenience foods, restaurants, couponing, making meals from scratch (and their health benefits and health care saving over packaged foods), daycare, etc. Salary.com also left out family historian, librarian, private instruction (for homeschooling mothers), entertainer, health care worker, seamstress, gardener, animal husbandry, accountant and many more hats we stay at home moms wear in the course of our day.
Our personal view of the worth of stay at home mothers should not come from worldly measures. Instead, we should find out what God says about the role of a mother in the home and strive to please Him. The importance He places on obedience to Scripture, the admiration of my grateful husband and the joy of knowing my own children far outweighs any salary I could receive. I often tell people who ask what career path I have chosen that I am paid in hugs and kisses. I'll take those over a paycheck any day. Some things you can't put a value on!
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"Any mother could perform the jobs of several air-traffic controllers with ease." ~Lisa Alther
