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I recently had a conversation with a friend — the mother of one of my son’s classmates. She has three boys, the youngest a newborn. She’s decided to stay home with her children until her youngest goes to kindergarten. I admire that choice deeply, because it’s the kind of life I once dreamed of but couldn’t have when I became a mother for the first time.

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I was a full-time working mom from the moment my first child was born. After just four months of maternity leave, I had no choice but to return to work. My job was in the city, 200 kilometers away from my hometown. With a heavy heart, I sent my infant daughter to stay with my parents. It was a painful and heartbreaking decision. I cried almost every night from the ache of missing her. I still had milk in my breast, and every time they became full, the physical and emotional pain spread across my chest and heart.

Weekends became my everything. Every Friday at 5 PM, I rushed out of the office, headed straight to the bus station, and made the long trip home. My baby would wait for me every Friday night. For two years, I made that journey — back and forth every weekend — until I was finally able to bring her to live with me and enroll her in daycare.

But even then, things weren’t easy. My work was an hour drive from home, so she was always one of the last three children waiting at daycare. I still remember one rainy night — a terrible storm flooded the streets, thunder echoed through the city, and I was caught in the downpour. I had to take shelter at a small store because the wind was too strong to drive through. By the time I reached the daycare, my daughter was crying so hard when she saw me. My heart shattered.

When I had my second child, I knew I didn’t want to go through that kind of pain again. I had a nanny to take care of him at home while I returned to work when he was 6 months old. She stayed with our family, and while it helped, it was not a good choice. I still felt the emotional weight of being apart from him during those tender months. When he turned 12 months old, I made a decision and chose to stay at home. For six precious months, I was fully present with both of my children. We played, laughed, and shared moments I never had the chance to experience with my first baby. When he turned 18 months, I felt it was the right time to send him to daycare, and I returned to work with a full heart – grateful for the memories we created and the bond we deepened during that time. Until now, those months at home still remain among the most precious of my life.

Motherhood is a journey of strength, sacrifice, and endless love. I’ve never been an overly ambitious woman — I’m a family-oriented person, and I take pride in that. That’s why I’m genuinely happy when I see women who can stay home with their children. Because I know it’s not just about personal choice — it also takes a supportive partner, one who doesn’t judge or criticize. Sadly, not every woman has that. In some homes, women are unfairly criticized for not earning more than their husbands, even when they’re home raising small children.

It’s time we stop shaming mothers for their choices — whether they stay home or return to work. Every path in motherhood is valid. And every mother deserves respect, love, and support.