This article was written by Cindy Batson in 2005 and updated in 2008. It is posted here posthumously following her death in February 2018.

“Iwant Cammie!” cried the little girl as she clutched her mother’s neck. Her mother was trying to comfort her during a terrible thunderstorm. Our daughter, Cammie, worked in the day care center where this toddler had become quite attached to her. At this time of crisis in her young life, she cried out for the one with whom she spent most of her day. She was more attached to Cammie than her own mother.

I hated to quit my teaching job when our first daughter was born. However, I decided that I would rather stay home and invest my time in teaching my own children, rather than someone else’s. I stayed home for ten years. I went back to work as a teacher’s aide on a part-time basis when Cammie went to first grade.

I am so glad I didn’t work during those early years. I spent hours reading to them, baking with them, and taking them places to let them experience many things. I can still remember one night in December when I was sick and couldn’t get off the couch. Our girls were building and decorating a gingerbread house in the dining room. I couldn’t see them, but I just closed my eyes and listened to the giggles and conversation as they happily created a masterpiece. I knew that they were probably making a mess and overdosing on sugar, but I also knew that this would become a precious memory for them, as well as for me.

My decision to stay home in those early years was not easy. It was difficult financially, but we made it happen. For quite a few years, we had only one car. The first house we bought was a two-bedroom “fixer-upper.” We stuck to a budget and have no regrets. It took creativity to live on one income, but God supplied all of our needs.

As a child, I remember how comforting it was to stay home from school when I was sick. My mother was there to take care of me. I hear parents talking about sending their children to day care when they know they have a fever. They hope their caregiver doesn’t notice. How sad for those little children.

I know that in a few cases both parents have to work in order to put food on the table and to have a roof over their heads. Unfortunately, many more choose to work so they can have many extras. Do your children really need that trip to Disney World every year?

Now that our girls are young adults, I look back and see that God honored my decision to stay home during those early years. We were able to put both girls through college and pay for two weddings. We are thankful for making the right choices.

If you are thinking of living on one income, let me encourage you to consider it. You will be able to look back and say, “I’m glad that I was there for my children when they needed me. The memories I made with them are priceless.”