A Stay-at-Home Mom's Affirmation

Home by Choice: Raising Emotionally Secure Children in an Insecure World by Brenda Hunter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stay-at-home moms: affirmation resides in these pages.

The book is packed with personal stories and extensive research that encourage any mom who decides to stay at home with her kids during those crucial first few years. I was impressed with Dr. Hunter's unswerving position as she must've known her book would invite sharp criticism and controversy. Having experienced both sides (a working mom and a stay-at-home mom), she was able to relay the research with the needed sensitivity and empathy.

I appreciated, too, how she urged women to deal with what psychological blocks may come between her and her children. Being home is not enough--you have to be there completely (physically AND emotionally). So I need to deal with my issues so they don't transfer to my kids--this can apply to a tumultuous past, a rocky present, or an uncertain future.

Toward the end of the book, she addressed a woman's reentrance into the workforce and fought against the claim that a stay-at-home mom loses too much ground in the professional world to expect more than a mediocre job upon returning to work in her late 30s or early 40s. Dr. Hunter herself battled these emotions when she was staying home and pursuing an at-home writing career instead of diving back into the workforce when her daughters entered school. Her husband encouraged her to do what she believed best for their family, saying, "But become wholehearted about your life or you will miss the best that this season of your life has to offer." Good advice!

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