Subject: toothless grin

Dear Dr. Laura:

I finally did it! I quit my thriving pharmaceutical sales career to 
stay home with my baby boy, Andre. After much consideration 
financially, my husband and I decided we CAN do it without my salary. 
My income would mean cutting our income in half-but we cut out cable, 
only have one car, make our own baby food and found out it is 
possible! We decided that the worst possible scenario is that we have 
to sell our home. Big deal-in the grand scheme of things, who really 
cares. A house is a house but we now have a HOME.

We are living a much simpler life and much happier for it. All those 
nights of sneaking out of my sales job early to pick my child up from 
daycare and holding him crying apologizing for leaving him all day ARE 
OVER. The nights of my husband coming home from work wondering what is 
for dinner and me too frazzled to think because I was constantly 
checking voicemail, preparing business plans or doing expense reports. 
All over!!!!

We made the decision when my 14-week-old baby came home from daycare 
with some other kid's bottles packed neatly in his diaper bag. I cried 
all night and thought to myself whose breast milk did my baby drink 
today while I was at work! The following day I contacted Human 
Resources and put in my resignation. It was the best decision I have 
ever made. I contacted some of my former customers to let them know of 
my resignation and to my surprise, congratulations is what many of 
them said. Congratulations for what? For being my kid's mom? I never 
expected to be congratulated as if I accomplished something 
extraordinary in life. I am proudly my kid's mom and have had a 
spiritual rejuvenation with my self and my husband as a result. You 
don't need two cars, huge house, and fancy clothes to be happy. All I 
need to see is that toothless grin that welcomes me each and every 
morning!!

 Thank you,

 -Nicole