Sure, the financial aspect of your decision is exaggerated because you would not be saving daycare money by staying home, but on the flipside, you
already don't have daycare costs for the 1/2 time you would be working! Lucky you!
Since my first daughter was born 6.5 years ago, I've done a variety of permutations of reduced work schedules. I think it helps that I like my job so I don't feel like I just want to "get it out of the way" and get to FI as quickly as possible. DH has always been supportive of me doing "whatever I want" in this respect since he knows I also have the children's best interests in mind (and he doesn't hate his job either.)
- Me: 20 hrs/wk and DH: 20 hrs/wk - DD1 always at home with one parent.
- Me: 30 hrs/wk and DH: 30 hrs/wk - DD1 in daycare in the mornings and home with one parent or the other in the afternoon.
- Me: 0 hrs/wk and DH: 40 hrs/wk - DD1 at home with me full time.
- Me: 20 hrs/wk and DH: 40 hrs/wk - DD1 & DS2 in daycare in the mornings and home with me in the afternoon.
- Me: 40 hrs/wk and DH: 40 hrs/wk - DD1 & DS2 in daycare 4 full days a week and home with me on Fridays. (This was brutal! I had to fill in 10 hrs/wk on evenings & weekends.)
- Me: 32 hrs/wk and DH: 40 hrs/wk - DD1 & DS2 in daycare 4 full days a week
and finally, we settled on:
- Me: 20 hrs/wk and DH: 40 hrs/wk - DD1 & DS2 & DD3 in daycare (or school) in the mornings and home with me in the afternoon.
They all have their pros and cons. Being a SAHM wasn't for me. I feel like it's valuable for us all to have time away from each other. But on the other end of the spectrum, working full time made the time I had at home so much more stressful and I wasn't my "best self" with the kids. I guess spending time together daily as family is my way of teaching my kids the importance of family. The kids drive me crazy most afternoons (and I am frequently not my "best self"), but I think it is worth it. Honestly, if I could stay home with the kids in the afternoon but still have occasional help from the grandparents in the afternoon, I would jump on that in a heartbeat!