Practical Advice for Parents Considering Stay-at-Home Lifestyle from Carissa Rogers

Carissa Rogers and her three children

Meet Carissa

Carissa Rogers resides in Southern Oregon with her husband and three children, ages 13, 10, and 7.  As a stay-at-home mom for the past ten years, she has long forgotten her work as a molecular biologist saying “it was so long ago I can’t remember the vocabulary anymore!”  Carissa’s science vocabulary may be a distant memory but she’s current on social media lingo through her consulting role with small businesses and as a blogger who writes at GoodNCrazy.

Staying at home because of the hidden costs of working

The decision to stay at home came when Carissa calculated the costs of working outside the home.  “I found after taxes, clothing, gas, child care and even things like NOT having time to use coupons, that I was making exactly $10/day. Whoa. What an eye opener,” she remembers.  Adding in the occasional extra costs of having to contribute money towards a group birthday gift, she realized that there would be some days that she wouldn’t be making anything.  “Some days I figured I was actually PAYING to work. That did it. I decided I would rather be home with my daughter than PAY to work!”

Practical advice for deciding to work or stay at home

“Seriously take a hard look at the costs of working outside the home,” Carissa advises.  “There are real costs easy to calculate but what about the other things like how your child’s behavior is doing at a daycare or babysitter? Is it worth it to consider a major change in atmosphere, moving or changing jobs in order to create a more family friendly situation?”

Carissa didn’t start working from home until 2 years ago when her youngest started school full time.  She admits that there are times when it’s a struggle but she finds it “worth it to be home and available for my kids.”

Parenting Style: Between Tiger Mom and Meanest Mom

Carissa describes her parenting style as being somewhere between Tiger Mom and Meanest Mom. “I know that doesn’t sound good. And I’m not saying I make my kids practice piano while I stand there with a ruler tapping out the beat,” she says. “I expect a lot from my kids.”

Now that her children are older, Carissa certainly appreciates their independence and relishes their ability to excel at school and create lasting friendships.  “We spend a lot of time making sure everyone understands the value of work and the value of a nickel after you have DONE the work. And we all love a run to our favorite frozen yogurt store when the work is over!  And we have a lot of fun together!”