Dear Dr. Laura,

My youngest daughter is 16 years old. Thanks to you, I made the decision to be a stay at home mom when I found out I was pregnant with her. Coincidentally, it was the same week her oldest sister came home from school and announced she wanted to be a Brownie. My husband and I could not imagine how the two of us would get her to Brownies, with both of us having full time jobs 30 minutes away from the school she attended. That night we decided enough was enough, our kids deserved more. I resigned the next morning and found out I was pregnant with our third daughter that night. The stress level in our home decreased by 1000% that very day!

My husband took on the job of being the sole bread earner for our family and I became responsible for running our home and making sure our kids were happy, relaxed, and enjoying school. I enjoyed being a stay at home mom, but never more so than on the days the school would call and say one of my daughters was ill and needed to come home. Gone were the negotiations with my husband over who could take time off easier or who would call their mother and ask them to get OUR sick child and take care of them until we could get off of work. I prided myself on being able to pick up a sick child within minutes of that call from school. They were home and on OUR couch or in THEIR bed! Today our 'baby' who is 16 needed to come home due to a migraine headache. Once again I was at school and had her home within minutes. She took a short nap, ate a good lunch and is already back in her AP History class taking an exam. She's a wonderful girl, a great student and appreciated me being able to help her take care of herself today.

Her older sisters turned out pretty good too. Our oldest daughter is in law school on a full academic scholarship. She attended college on a full tuition academic scholarship as well. Our middle daughter is completing her undergraduate education this year. She too earned a full tuition, academic scholarship. She is currently fielding offers from several graduate programs for full or partial scholarships. One school even wants to pay her a stipend to attend their grad school!

Dr. Laura, this note is several years late. I should have written and thanked you years ago for giving me the strength to make the decision to quit working. Thanks to you, I stayed at home and supported my children and husband. My children and my marriage have benefited in so many ways! I have volunteered my 'extra' hours to local charities and have help to raise millions of dollars to support various philanthropic activities. I haven't wasted a minute of the last 16 years. I am sincerely grateful to you for your work and your contribution to my very successful family.

Sincerely,

Susan