Thanks to the Husbands

In order for a woman to be a full-time homemaker, there is one vital component that rarely gets mentioned, and that is a willing husband.  If a wife is going to stay home full-time, she needs to have a husband who is supportive and willing for her to pursue her chosen vocation.  Before I married my husband I knew that he wanted to do everything in his power to make it possible for me to stay home with our children.  Patrick will work as much as he has to, as many jobs as he has to, so that I will not have to work outside of the home.  People sometimes don't realize how vital it is that the husband and wife agree on how important it is for the her to be a homemaker.  In order to make this possible the man has to:

1) Work. He has to leave the house every single day, without bitterness, say goodbye to his family, and work to support them. Depending on his salary or the type of job that he has, he might have to work more than one job in order to pay the bills. My father works in Christian education.  For many years while I was growing up he would teach school during the school year, coach three sports--soccer, basketball, and baseball--and the day that school got out, start doing handy-man work for people during the summer.  My mother was a stay-at-home mom and these are only a few of the things that he did to make that happen. 
2.) Give up time spent with his children. There are, occasionally, days where Patrick does not even see Sebastian and Evelyn. Patrick is often very sad that he doesn't get to more time with the kids and he will say how much he envies my being home with them.  At the same time, this is never tinged with bitterness because he knows he needs to do in order to make that possible.
3.) Because he works so much and doesn't spend as much time with the kids, Patrick does everything he can to be with the children when he is home.  Every night while I do the dishes, Patrick plays with the kids, gets them ready for bed, and reads to them.  This often means that he walks in the door, eats dinner, and doesn't get to sit down and relax until Sebastian is in bed at 8:00pm.  Sometimes women get upset with their husbands if they don't immediately help out when they walk in the door. But when this is the case, we forget that these men have been working all day long too, and sometimes they also need a break. Yet despite that, they are often willing to do what they can to help out around the house.
4.)Give up time spent with his wife.  If he is busy taking care of work or children, it naturally follows that there isn't going to be as much time to spend with the woman that he married.  While we should always make time for each other, the realities of life don't make that possible as much as we would like.
5.) Give up things that he might want to have. When the wife doesn't work it means that at least half as much income is being brought into the house, which often means that there isn't much extra money for luxuries.  Obviously being able to afford for your wife to stay home won't work if you are constantly purchasing every new gadget, fishing pole, gun, video game, or "toy" that comes along. 
6.) Agree with the reasons "why" his wife stays at home.  If the man doesn't realize the importance of his wife being a full-time homemaker, then it will never work; because, the moment that money gets  tight, he will want his wife to start working again.  If he doesn't agree then every time that he has to give something up, or not buy something he wants, or work extra hours at his job, he will begin to resent his wife. In order to keep the marriage strong, this needs to be an area where, like almost all the important areas, the spouses are in agreement.

I am extremely blessed to be married to a man who thinks that this is just as important as I do, and, his mother was not a stay-at-home mom. So, thank you to my husband who makes  it possible for me to fulfill my vocation and to be the mother and wife that I am called to be.