It's helpful to realize that it is not the event -- becoming a stay-at-home mom -- that is the issue. It is your interpretation of that event. If you believe that the transition makes you dependent on your partner, you first might want to challenge your basic assumptions. True, you may be "depending" on your partner for income but you are not dependent. You are capable of working if need be but you have a chosen a different, and very rewarding path. You might consider the fact that your partner is also "depending" upon you to be a wonderful, devoted mom to your child while he is at work all day. He benefits from your devotion to your child as you benefit from his working. You and your partner are not dependent but interdependent.

You need each other to perform certain tasks so that you can both have the lifestyle and home life you want. Your partner should have equal say about your child-rearing decisions and you should have equal say about spending. Also, make sure you don't talk to your partner in a manner that suggests you feel inferior. Don't say, for example, "Can we go out to dinner this weekend?" Say instead, "I'd like to go out for dinner this weekend. What do you think?" If your partner challenges your decisions on finances and says (or hints) that he is "giving" you money or that he should have more financial say-so, politely disabuse him of that notion. He is reaping a wonderful reward by having you stay at home and care for the child. And he knows you are providing his child with the most love anybody could ever give that child."

Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of other users. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy, efficacy, or veracity of any content generated by our users.