This article was especially thought provoking to me. Growing up, it almost seemed to be an expectation that I would get married, have kids, and stay at home with them like my mother had done. The interesting thing about this article is that the author speaks of regretting her decision to do this. She lists numerous reasons for these regrets and among those reasons is the fact that she became outdated and lost confidence. It appears that she also put so much time into her family and being a stay at home mother that she lost who she was in the process. I’m all for spending a lot of time with your kids but when you’re THAT involved, it can make the letting go process a lot harder. Plus, it’s not the healthiest thing to make your kids your ENTIRE world because you’re setting yourself up for disappointment when they leave your care. As someone who is somewhat of a control freak, I like the structure that can come as a result of parenting my own kids and being with them day in and day out. However, I also want to have a life outside of raising kids. As someone who has spent a LOT of money on education, I want to be able to use that in some capacity while still being a present and effective parent. While some people feel comfortable and totally ok with dropping everything career related in order to raise their kids, there’s the chance of falling into the same boat as the author of this article. Keeping up your skills and licenses can still be done while being a good parent. Plus, it’s less work to pick up where you left off when the kids leave. Regardless of all that, the decision to stay at home with your kids should be something that you know will work for you in the long run.