Becoming an At-home Mother: A Difficult Choice

After the birth of her second daughter, Isabel Lachance had to make a choice: return to work or become an at-home mother. She tells the ups and downs of a working mother.

At the outset, Isabel Lachance says that being an at-home mother is a lifestyle choice. "I do not judge those who made the decision to continue to work and I do not think one mother is better than another simply because she chose to stay at home,” she specifies.

It must be said that the young woman herself has long been on the job market. "The decision to stay home was extremely difficult one to make. I thought about it several months. I left a good job and my security. If you want to go back in that environment after several years of absence, you're out. It made me really scared, but eventually it was the heart that prevailed", she says.

For the quality of life

Isabel Lachance did not want her children to be raised by someone else. "It made no sense for me not to see my daughters for more than two hours a day. I wanted to be there for all the first times, breastfeed as long as possible and be with them.

The others’ judgment

Obviously, not everything is always pink in the lives of employed mothers. "This was one thing that was difficult for me. I hated the small comments which usually came from other women. Many believe that being an at-home mother means spending your days sitting in front of the TV. Yet, the reality is far from that! " said Isabel, smiling. She admits that she sometimes feel bad when meeting new people and when she is asked what she has done in life. "In some circumstances, it is as if I needed to remind myself that I have done something else and I have not just been a mother in my life. Other times, I am very proud to say that I'm a mom," she said.

Staying at home is about making choices

The young woman claims that choosing to become an at-home mother is putting much aside. "It's more difficult to have a social life when you're not on the labor market. What we do is not valued either. There is no performance bonus at the end of the quarter, she laughs. Finally, you have a minute for you. At home, there is no coffee break! "

If at first the young woman admits to have had doubts about her choice, this is very rarely the case today. "I know that my family is less stressed out. We do not have breakfast on the run in the morning and my girls go to part time daycare since they are two years old. All those memories of being with them fill my heart and my head and they are priceless," says the mom.

When asked if she plans to return on the job market one day, she thinks aloud. "Probably yes, but now I am enjoying my choice fully. It is impossible to perform everywhere in life. There are just 24 hours in a day! Personally, I chose to focus on my family," she says, smiling.