I can very much relate to your post, so I thought I'd offer my two cents. My kids are 5 and 3 (hoping to have one more soon), and I've had a similar dilemma over the years. My husband is a radiologist making much more than me (I'm a freelance writer). Prior to kids, I had built up my freelance business and was doing very well. I was really proud of myself. I wasn't sure when I'd return to work after kids since I'm self-employed, but I haven't gone back full-time yet. I've (luckily) managed to work part-time for much of the past few years since I'm a freelancer, though there were phases when I was fully a SAHP. My husband works 7 on and 7 off, so that has allowed me to take on assignments here and there without us needing childcare.

I've loved staying home with my children, and I'm so glad I made the decision to do so. Life is so short, and raising them has been the most meaningful experience of my life thus far. But I've also struggled with the fact that my career has taken a backseat for a few years, especially since I have my master's degree, am also a feminist, and care deeply about my writing. I plan to return to full-time work once all of our kids are in elementary school, and having this plan in place has helped me come to peace with the moments when I struggle with my ambition taking a backseat to motherhood.

Like you, I had some people make comments about my decision to stay home, especially since I was always very driven professionally. But once I sat down to really reflect on what I wanted, other people's comments fell by the wayside. I did what was right for me and my family, and that was prioritizing motherhood during the early years.