Yahoo Lifestyle Current occupation: SAHM. But what happens next?
It’s an age-old debate, whether to stay at home until your children start school or return to the workforce early on, but despite the difficult financial climate pressuring many mums back to work before they feel ready, a small number of mums are choosing to forego family holidays and big birthday parties in order to stay home with their kids.
For Jessica, mum to Regan (12), Dakota (9), Ebony (8), Makoia (5), and Marley (2), becoming a stay-at-home mum wasn’t something she consciously planned, but after her first child was born, she instinctively felt that she needed to be at home with him.
‘It was an absolute financial struggle having a small baby on one income, and we’ve had to make sure we budget really well, but we’ve always managed to make ends meet,’ she says. ‘So many people want to stay home with their children but have the pressure to return to work, so I know I’m really lucky. I’ve been there for all my kids’ milestones, seen them take their first steps and heard their first word.’
The transition from the workforce to life as a stay-at-home mum hasn’t been as easy for former journalist and mum-of-one Kristyn. While she acknowledges that it’s a conscious choice she has made, and that she is lucky that her husband is able to support the family financially, she struggles with the feelings of sacrifice.
‘I was washing dishes one day and I thought to myself that most of the things I prepared for when I was younger are utterly useless in my current situation,’ she says. ‘I used to rush to get on military choppers, to mingle with rebels, to cover bomb threats and disastrous fires. Now I’m washing dishes, vacuuming the house, doing the laundry, preparing baby food and wiping my baby’s bottom while ducking from poo-covered little hands.’
However she says that while seeing remnants of her former high-flying life such as an old suit or a forgotten payslip sometimes knock her confidence, knowing that she is helping to mould her little one into a happy member of society more than makes up for the sacrifices.
‘I knit, I write, I take photos and I watch my favourite TV shows. Mostly, I’m at home with my daughter, sharing in her adventures. You couldn’t pay me enough to go back to full-time work,’ she says.
But inevitably once the kids grow older and start school, the decision to return to paid work looms scarily in the distance, and for women who left a successful career to become a stay-at-home mum, the prospect of returning to work can be daunting.
One of the biggest challenges that faces stay-at-home mums in preparing to return to the workforce is the gap in their CV that may span anywhere from a couple of years to more than a decade in Jessica’s case.
With her oldest child now at preschool, Deborah, a credit controller in a past life and now stay-at-home mum to Gabriel (8), Toby (6) and Eden (3) has been contemplating her future, and admits the prospect is a little frightening.
‘If I haven’t worked for 8 years, how far back in my employment history should I go on my CV?’ she asks. ‘Would you employ someone who has been out of the workforce that long? And what if my former employers have moved on to new roles, who do I use as references? Am I nuts?!’
According to Career Know-How.com, the gap in your resume doesn’t have to be a negative thing. They suggest highlighting your previous career achievements, but also making note of other non-paid work you may have done, such as volunteering for the school P and F and organising kindy fundraisers.
And if the thought of returning to your previous role gives you heart palpitations, or your chosen career path just isn’t family friendly, it’s not the end of the world – many mums take the opportunity to retrain in a totally different area, often fitting in study by correspondence around their children.
Jessica has decided to study to become a social worker, and she is excited about the future.
‘I think my children have really benefited from me being at home,’ she says, ‘but I’m also looking forward to entering the workforce for the first time – in my mid-30s!’
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