I’m a regular subscriber to Steven Atchinson’s blog, Change Your Life (and you should become one, too).  A point he made in last week’s post about 40 Rules to Live Your Life By struck me as something that, as women, we need to really take to heart. Actually, his entire list should be taken to heart, but #33 stood out as one of the absolute best reasons to become a work at home mom. Simply put, Steven advises us to love our partners, while maintaining our independence.

While I’m certain he didn’t intend for this most salient point to become a work at home mom mantra, it really should. I don’t know about all of you reading this, but in my personal and professional experiences, I’ve seen women wiped out by love. Divorce, death, injury and a host of other life upheavals have left women stranded financially and personally shattered. In fact, it’s often said that one of the largest contributors to poverty among women and children is divorce.

I’ve even seen some women in seemingly perfectly stable relationships be financially controlled by a spouse who insists that his wife stay at home with their children instead of going to work. In several of these women, I’ve seen self-esteem plummet and depression take root while they go about their daily routines feeling unfulfilled and helpless to do anything about it.

I even recall a neighbor many years ago whose husband, a truck driver, was the sole breadwinner of the family. He was in a near-fatal crash one night while on the job and took years to recover from his injuries. During the first few months after the accident, to say that the family struggled financially would be an understatement. Following a lengthy investigation into the accident and an arduous fight with insurance companies, the family was eventually able to regain a sense of stability, but while taking care of a young child and a husband who’d been completely sidelined by the accident, my neighbor had to make immediate sacrifices and adjustments in their lifestyle just to keep food on the table at one point. I don’t know if things would have been different had they had a second income (or even if she would have been able to keep it up between hospital visits and taking care of him when he came home), but I suspect that even the smallest amount saved or trickling in would have been greatly appreciated when things got super tight.

I’m not here to meddle in anyone’s private relationships, but I do think that Steven’s point carries incredible merit. As women we sometimes lose ourselves in relationships. Even when we enjoy doing so and even when we have spouses worthy of us doing so, being solely dependent on another person has consequences for us and them. We really must endeavor to love our significant others with every fiber of our being, but be smart in the process of doing so and maintain a sense of independence at the same time. This is also a good lesson to pass on to our children, particularly our daughters.

Today, more than any other time in history, work at home jobs for moms allow women to have broader choices. We really can stay at home and manage the household and micro-manage the kids while, at the same time, maintaining a sense of financial independence. Whether we choose to use money earned to help pay off debt, contribute to a family vacation or just to create a rainy day fund, earning an income…and especially doing so form home…is nothing short of empowering!

You deserve to have outside interests, just like you deserve to be able to stay at home while pursuing them. And your families deserve to have a mom who feels fulfilled and a part of the family’s economic function. So, women take heed, the absolute best reason to become a work at home mom is…YOU!

Agree or disagree below, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

(Pssst…while we’re discussing relationships and working from home, be sure to check out our thoughts on what to do when your spouse doesn’t support your work at home job search. And don’t forget to check out today’s job leads…thanks for stopping by!)