Carla Alvarez’s last blog post..Get Extra Marketing Mileage from Charitable Donations

Remember that credit card commercial with the mom being around the baby so long that her language turned to baby talk? I could understand how someone might feel somewhat lost.

There are countless things that one can do to keep their skills sharp in the eventuality they may have to go to work.

Also, why let all those great skills that you have accumulated go to waste or remain dormant! For example, if you are a great researcher you could write a book on a historical topic that might interest you.

You could contact your favorite college or grad professor and ask them if they needed research assistance or if they would mine guiding your research efforts.

These things may not get you the big bucks but they sure are resume builders!

How about assisting your favorite local charity develop a marketing campaign or better yet, take a leadership role on the board.

By enriching your community or continuing to stimulate your mind, you can create for yourself a level of self affirmation that eliminate the feeling that you are allowing the world to pass you by.

While I was in college the valedictorian at my graduation was a women who took one course per semester between 1982 and 1997. She was a homemaker and wanted to spend time with her family but wanted to complete her college degree. I had the privilege of taking a course with her, she was very inspirational and helped to enrich my experience. Also, I assume that she was great role model for her children because she taught them that they needed to set goals for themselves no matter what life has to offer.

The bottom line is just to live life! Don’t fear that you may have to go back to work because of a so called divorce. That is not the end all or be all. Listen to your passion and carve out time to accomplish it. Once you start connecting with like minded individuals you will be surprised how opportunities begin to present themselves.

Sure, if you have 4 kids in high school or younger and you want custody, then you probably want to keep the house too. Just make sure you get enough alimony/child support to make the payments (and for heaven’s sake make sure you understand what ALL household expenses entail) - or else you’ll be far better off selling the house and getting (investing) the proceeds.

And as for the career, I agree there too. If you are independently wealthy (like, not counting your husbands’ income/assets), then it doesn’t really matter, but otherwise it’s almost absurdly risky to just abandon your earning power. Kids only need full-time care for a few years. You’re likely to live to be 80-100. If I was married AND had several kids AND wanted to stay home AND it made financial sense for me to do so, I’d have my husband take out many millions in life insurance and also have a strict post-nup drafted to ensure my financial stability. You have to think like a man in that situation: you might love your kids, but you have to look out for yourself first. You want to be able to feed them in case of divorce or death of your husband, right?

Keep up the great work…you’ve got a terrific blog!

Barbara Stanny, author of “PRince Charming Isn’t Coming: How Women Get Smart About Money.”
http://www.barbarstanny.com