Try as we might, it’s hard to come home all at once. While we all might have dreams of handing in a resignation note and breezing out the door, never to be seen in the office again, real-life concerns often stand in the way. Some women, due to personal circumstances, must work--they are single mothers, divorced, widowed, or have disabled husbands and lack the family or church support to come home full-time. Other women, like myself, have husbands who prefer they wait until they have children, or who prefer they work part time. Finally, there are those women who, while wanting to come home in their hearts, still cannot make the jump, for personal, financial, or other reasons. But we can still prepare for our homecoming, and keep our own homes to the highest standard possible while we wait!

Preparing yourself

The transition from full-time working life to being home full time requires preparation and planning. My husband and I have a five-year plan for ourselves that includes financial and lifestyle changes that will allow us hopefully to both be at home in the future, engaged in a home business and a family-centered life. My own personal “homecoming" is scheduled for four months from now, if God is willing. For our your own needs, it is best to start with the preparation of your heart. What are your priorities? What are God’s priorities for you? What doubts and worries do you, your husband, and your family have about making the jump? It is important to recognize these worries, and address them within your heart, through careful reflection, discussion with loved ones, and prayer.

Financial worries

Some of the biggest worries facing women as they contemplate "retiring" from the workforce are financial. America’s current consumer-debt fueled standard of living has created expectations that require more and more of middle-class families. Rising college tuition means that many young families start out with one or both parents paying off large student loans. Low-interest rates put homes that our parents couldn’t have dreamed of (and the requisite mortgages) in their early years of marriage into the hands of people in their mid to late twenties. This debt, as well as high-interest credit card debt, puts a heavy burden on young families. Housing loans acquired based on two incomes make it very difficult for some women to consider leaving the workforce to care for their families, even if they desperately want to.

Personal worries

Some women worry about how they will change personally, should they leave the workplace full time. They have spent years focused on a career, or even on just getting by, and cannot imagine being home all day. They are unsure of their abilities as a housekeeper, cook, mother, or “CDO" (Chief Domestic Officer). What will they do with all of their time? What will their friends, church members, or parents say? How will they survive being with their kids all day?

Overcoming our fears

Written out like that, the worries facing women considering a return home seem great indeed. How shall we overcome them? The first, and key step, is to prayerfully plan your return home has carefully as possible, by setting yourself a date in the future for your "homecoming." Having this firm date in mind gives you a planning and preparation period. The period does not have to be long--it can be as short as three months, or it can be as long as two or three years. The period of preparation will serve several purposes. First, it will give you period of time to arrange your finances and circumstances to make the transition home as easy as possible. Secondly, it will help prepare your heart for the transition to a new season in life: a season of service and blessings that will be different from anything you have known before.

© Copyright 2002-2008 by LAF/BeautifulWomanhood.org

Top of Page