Wow, the bitterness I see from those who DON'T stay at home is pretty sad.  Maybe not all SAHMs do all the jobs listed in the study, but many of us do those and then some. One of the PPs said a SAHM might be worth 30k, maybe that figure would be per child.  With 4 kids there's 4x the workload, 4x the mess, 4x the commuting, 4x the homework/tutoring and 4x the emotional turmoil (that is dealt with like a psychologist).  If all that work were spread out to different people, it'd cost at least 120k/year.  

I don't think any less of those who choose to work, but for Pete's sake cut those of us who choose to stay home some slack and have some grace.  Just because we don't commute and earn a salary like you doesn't mean we're not highly educated individuals who deserve respect.  

What a joke.  Today's workplace is sheer misery.  I'd love to be excused from having to earn a living.  A housewife (that's what I call a SAHM) should be grateful she isn't responsible for earning a living.  A husband earns the money, and she gets to spend it?  Sounds like heaven to me, like being a childl and being with my parents again.

I am a SAHM and i do not have enough money for a housekeeper or nanny. I do it all myself! I am on my feet running around cleaning, cooking, running children to and from dr's visits, school, practice, ect I do errands, manage the household budget and I have little help from my husband for he works 12 hour shifts and isn't home a lot of time. I think the article is a little silly for we willnever be actually paid that much but yes, I think I am worth it!!

I am a SAHM and am darn proud of it!!!  I think that this article is relating how much work a mother puts in to raising her children.  It's not about the money at all.  If it was, there wouldn't be a single stay at home mom.  How dare the other two comments  mention that mom's "pretend" to earn psychologist money or that they are only worth $30,000!  True, perhaps a SAHM did not earn that degree, but perhaps she did earn a degree of some sort.  I have a MBA for crying out loud, but choose to stay at home because I feel that the experience of raising your own child is far more rewarding than paying someone else to do it.  Of course I understand that there are those who need to work and I am all for that.  But this article is all about how much work a mom puts in to raising her children...being up at all hours of the night taking care of a sick child, helping calm her child's fears, being with them when they take their first steps, teaching them valuable lessons that can't be taught in a classroom...all these things take a considerable amount of time and dedication.  It's not about the money, the article is just stating that if it was, combine all the things a mother does for children and that's what you get.

This whole thing makes me laugh...at you!  I have been a stay at home Mom, I have been a full time job Mom, part time job Mom too.  I liked what Grateful Husband and Bruce and Mallory had to say.  One thing not one of you mentioned was the LOVE and GENUINE CARE AND CONCERN our children get from a parent.  You all need to face the fact that NO ONE AND I MEAN NO ONE will ever ever ever love a child as much as their parent.  I can't wait until Miss 15 weeks pregnant, I'm getting a nanny to raise my child sees her baby for the first time!  Let me tell you, turning that child over to someone else to raise will be the hardest day of her life!  Mom Forever, and Proud of it!  

While I question the point of such studies, being a stay at home parent IS a job. The hardest job out there.

As someone who does not have kids, even I recognize this and THAT knowledge has informed my decision to remain child-free. No I don't hate kids, but I recognize the sacrifice and maturity level that one must have to raise content, well-adjusted children in today's world.

No parent (mom or dad) should be looked down on for choosing to NOT go out into the "working world". Of course, if you are such a parent who has chosen to do so, then live with it.

At the same time, no parent (mom or dad or both) should be looked down of for going out into the working world (either by choice or necessity). Parents who are content with their own personal situations, I believe, raise children who are content and happy.

Stop knocking each other.  It's very immature.

While I do think thats a bit high, after all, you do need a degree to enter the work force in some of these jobs, I gotta warn you Sara; wait until you have your child, then tell me the work is only worth $30,000 a year. I've been a single working mother for quite a while, as well as taking some time off from running my own business when my daughter was born. Although it's the most rewarding job I've ever had, it's also the hardest. Worth way more than $30,000 a year. I feel sorry for your nanny if you think her job is that easy. By the way, in quite a few parts of the country, you couldn't get a good nanny for anything near that low.

To Sara and Ridiculous: you should be ashamed. Your mothers are.

Obviously all of the above comments are made by individuals who are not and never have been stay at home moms or even closely witnessed the day to day life of a stay at home mother.  Try being a stay at home mom to three boys between the ages of newborn to 4 years old and then post a worthy comment.

Also, to say that moms choose to stay at home with their kids is an incomplete and ignorant statement because in certain regions of the US it is too expensive to pay for a nanny (FYI: which for 3 kids would cost more than $30,000) or to send three kids to day care.  Those costs would far outweigh a full-time salary.

I've been a nanny and a housekeeper.  The pay isn't usually enough if there are small children!   Now I am a mom with a full time job.  I have never forgotten how hard I worked taking care of children.  I kiss the feet of my wonderful daycare provider and remember that I chose this lifestyle. My "pay" is a happy, well adjusted child who will grow and make a difference in this world.