Work or Not?

There's an interesting discussion going on over at The Wall Street Journal's "The Juggle" blog, based on a post examining whether one should keep juggling career and family - and shouldering all of the accompanying stress and general misery - or just give it up, stay home with the kids, and have a more focused life. From my scan of the comments, most of those joining in seem to be in the "I'd-stay-at-home-if-I-could-afford-to" camp. As one woman, an attorney wrote:

If someone paid me to stay home full-time, I’d do it in a heartbeat. While I enjoy my work and take pride in what I do, I am much more proud of the wonderful child we are raising. But for me, that choice is simply not there.

And there's this telling slip:

I think about this everyday from the money I wake up because the very first question my daughter asks everyday is if I have to go to work today.

What's also interesting is how many people are concerned about re-entering the workforce after they take time off to raise a child. Despite all the talk by firms about wanting to get these people back, there's still a lot of fear out there.

Tempted to Quit and Stay at Home [WSJ]