Child Care Sacrifices

This months issue of Parenting magazine got me thinking. They had an article called " We Don't Pay for Child Care!" It discusses the different and creative ways that families have developed to save money and not pay for child care without giving up their jobs. While I gave up my full time corporate job to stay at home, I can relate. Whether you quit your job or not, coming up with ways to keep your child out of day care is a sacrifice. While I am truly blessed beyond words for my husbands job we still have to give up a lot for me to stay home. That's what happens when you lose a complete income. I have taken up a part time job for us to have some extra money and in that we sacrifice too, when the Big A gets home from work - I head to work, leaving not much time for one on one during the week and sometimes the weekend for that matter being that I work 8 hour shifts on the weekend. And aside from the time there are the material things that we give up as well. For me to stay home we have given up Friday night meals at On the Border for Friday night meals from Taco Bueno. I have given up hair cuts every 8 weeks to every 12 weeks. But in lew of all that I have been repaid in a benefits package that no words can truly describe. I have a rockin dress code of hoodies, jeans, and tennis shoes. I'm showered in endless cuddles. I get to see every new word, new action, new favorite thing happen before my very eyes. I have a child that to this day has not even had a cold. So, in this time of year where we say what we are thankful for I'm thankful for this. I'm thankful for my husbands job. I'm thankful for having the ability to stay home. And I'm thankful for the sacrifice we chose to make to do whats best for us. I absolutely wouldn't want it any other way.