Mommy Guilt - It's a real thing

Mommy guilt, it's a real thing! I'm sure there is such a thing as daddy guilt too, but since I'm a mommy; my guilt is more obvious.

Every day I experience this in one form or another. Am I doing the best possible thing I can do for my son at this particular time? Every day I am faced with a a decision, any where from "Are these clothes warm enough, or cool enough?", "Have I spent enough time reading and playing with Monster?"

How do you know if your worries are valid or relevant? I've been experiencing inner turmoil for the last two or three weeks regarding when the appropriate time to return to work would be. I'm not looking for advice on the subject because in the end I will have weighed the pros and cons myself and made the decision I feel is best for our family at this time.

I definitely sound like I'm trying to convince myself, don't I? The only reason I'm considering returning to the work force is because I have a two year financial plan in order to be able to buy a nice big house to hold my family (and potential family). Why can't the two year plan just wait until January when my maternity leave ends?

Well, if you ask my mom she will be the first person to agree that once I get an idea in my head it's difficult to change it, and I'm usually in a hurry to follow through with it. Since Hubbs does shift work it is possible for us to pull a couple of favors in order to ensure Monster won't spend much time (if any) with a sitter. Therefor one or both of us will always be his primary care giver, and one or both of us will always be around to see all his firsts.

How are parents supposed to handle guilt in any situation regarding their children?

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Baby's First Bank Account

First off, I want to say that I don't want to be another one of those parents who says they'll do something, but later takes the easier road. I know that as your child(ren) grow, you also grow as a parent and person therefor making somethings more or less important.

Finances and financial planning are things I'd like to teach my Monster ( and future child) the importance of. In the road of life, one learns best by following an example or making HUGE mistakes. I don't want my sons future to be filled with financial mistakes or major consumer debt because he wasn't taught how to manage his money.

I will admit that I'm not necessarily the best example, because I like to shop. A women is a liar if they say otherwise! Ok, maybe not every single women, but MANY.

The first step I plan on making is organizing mine and my Hubbs finances so that we can try our best to be a good example. The second step is trying to be consistent with Monster as he grows older. My first idea is to have him put half of everything he gets (insert dollar amount here) into his savings account, an account he will not be able to access until he graduates high school (or maybe needs to buy a car). Ideally, I would like to have enough money to be able to buy him what he likes so he could put all his gift money in savings, but I don't see that happening without Lotto Max (Har Har).

If I start this early enough, as early as the tooth fairy, Birthdays or Christmas then maybe the incentive to save will continue on to his first job. However, savings is only one aspect of finances...

(To be continued...)