Stay-at-home moms, a.k.a. SAHMs, have it hard: There is no clock to punch to say “day is done!” — just more sippy cups to clean, diapers to change, and other unsung endless tasks to get done day after day after DAY. Yet moms who choose this route are on the rise: A recent Pew report finds that 29 percent of mothers don’t work outside the home, up for 23 percent a few years earlier. And this labor of love has definite payoffs — not only in terms of your kids, but for your marriage and your own state of mind.
The next time you’re questioning your choice, consider these surprising benefits.