I have recently been asked to give some advice concerning earning extra money as a stay at home mom.  It is such a privilege to be able to stay at home to raise our children.  However, most women find themselves in a position that they cannot imagine they will be in when they were younger.  

Imagine growing up having thought all the while about what kind of career you want to have.  Everyone said you should go to college or get higher education so you thought you should, too.  However, the day came; you are married and have children at home.  You never thought you would WANT to stay home and raise your children, but you do.  You never considered the title "Mother" a job to prepare for because it wasn’t in the list of careers that you selected from.

Now the dilemma……

You need extra income and no means to get it without going and getting a job.

What to do?

What are some alternatives?

I truly believe that if our Christian society was encouraging young ladies to be at home mothers and wives that our young ladies would not find themselves in such a dilemma.  They would be quite prepared to be “merchant maidens.”  Today’s notion that all young people NEED a college education is utter non-sense.  Many young ladies find themselves in positions where they MUST work outside of the home after they have children, because they are still paying off their college education they received in the first place.  Also, they may have abandoned the notion of staying home to raise children because they are wasting the education they paid so much money to receive.  What a catch 22!  Additionally, they may have been brainwashed into thinking that raising children was beneath them and they should aspire to greater and more fulfilling endeavors.

Whatever happened to following our children’s natural God-bestowed gifts and talents.  Not everyone needs higher education to fulfill the work God has ordained for them.  What they do need:

• Practical skills
• Desire / Motivation
• Determination / Persistence
• Encouragement / Support
• Role Models!

My daughter, age14, and I have been brainstorming options for her to pursue as she enters adulthood.  Entrepreneurial thinking is not a common notion in education these days.  In fact, it is “Out of the Box” Thinking.

We began our pursuit by purchasing the small booklet entitled “The Merchant Maiden”.  We had already thought of many of the ideas in that booklet and began to add more and more to it.  

However, the book has one major limitation.  It really only encourages endeavors that require you to continually spend time working in order to receive compensation.  This is fine for the person who has a lot of time to spend working for compensation or for the person who needs immediate cash.  

However, for the long haul, I would prefer to raise an entrepreneur -- someone who can create an “idea” that is sellable.  There is a difference between thinking like an entrepreneur and just working for yourself (you as the employer like you would work for someone else).  You are still tied into “working for wages”.

How can you learn to think like an entrepreneur?  That is a dilemma as well.

Most education is geared to have you memorize information.  That information doesn't ask you to think critically or apply information.  So....creative thinking is lost somewhere in the educational process.

Entrepreneurs are creators.

Entrepreneurs are risk takers.

Entrepreneurs believe in themselves.

Okay.  What are some alternatives?

That will be more food for thought in future posts……so keep reading and help me add to my list!