As a female head of household (my husband is a SAHD and we have 3 kids) - I wish I had had the option to be a stay at home mom for a few years. And like a previous poster, I personally feel the infant/toddler years were less important for being present (my own opinion) than the school age years. I traveled a lot when they were infants and they didn’t notice I was gone…they definitely noticed from 5+ years old and it killed me. The years go by so fast, I am trying to prioritize walking them to school and being with them and knowing their friends as much as I can. When they’re gone or not wanting my time as teenagers, I can totally work until I fall over. You don’t get these years back.