Summer days are here again!

Unlike some moms, I celebrate when I have my son home for the summer. Although I do get a little more in the "I'm bored" or "She's bugging me" department, I enjoy not having to bundle everyone into the car or stroller to rush Liam to school and back every day.

But it's more than just the practical aspects of summertime. I'm looking forward to enjoying time with my son -- playing with him, teaching him, getting to know him, investing in his life, filling him up with love. I can tell how much it means to him when I see his face light up.

Obviously it won't be entirely easy. I'm going to have to rearrange my routine to fit everyone. I'll have to take an extra body with me everywhere I go -- what's one more? I'm going to have to deal with a lot more playtime politics, too. But all in all, I wouldn't trade this precious time with my son for anything.

Should I stay or should I go?

A friend approached me recently, asking how I find stay-at-home mothering. The question got me thinking about that age old question of motherhood, or at least half-century old. It used to be that only a few moms had to go out and work, but most working moms did it because they wanted to.

In the last little while, I've noticed more of a trend in the opposite direction. A lot of moms look at me with my brood rather wistfully and say "I wish I could stay home, but I don't see how we can do it!"

Well, let me tell you, if we can do it, so can you. We have four kids under 6. My husband now makes a moderate income, but before this year it was pretty low. We've never had benefits up until this year, either. But we've owned a house for 6 years, and two cars. I make money from the government for raising responsible citizens (does that make me a civil servant?) And the plus is, I don't have to miss the first steps, first tooth, etc.

Does that mean it's been all coming up roses? Hardly. We've had to make some sacrifices. We don't live in a huge, new house. We don't drive cars with all the bells and whistles. I don't colour my hair (grey hair is a crown of glory, people!) We use Christmas money for new clothes or things for the house, or we make do with hand-me-downs. When Kevin has to work, he has to work. And so do I sometimes. There's a million things you can do from home to augment your income. And yes, you might have to -- gulp -- budget!

But really, when you add up the costs of both parents working, you're paying for childcare for however many kids, work clothes (which are more expensive than jeans and t-shirts!), maybe lunches out, and goodness knows feeding that gas-guzzler is a drain these days.

I'm not saying every mom should stay home. I'm just saying it's time we realized that the question of staying home or going to work is still a choice we can make. We moms shouldn't feel forced to leave our kids.