I’ve been a SAHM and I am currently a working Mom. Having lived in both worlds, I know exactly which one is best…for me. I stayed at home with my oldest kids from my first marriage until my son was five and my daughter was three. After our divorce, I was a working Mom on my own with them 50% of the time, until I met my husband Dan, and we thought, "Two kids? Ha! That's entry-level parenting," and along came Indie. And that's how I leveled up to a working Mom of three. Being a Mom is full of highs and lows…period, but here’s what I found to be the Mom specific pros and cons of staying home vs. working outside the home.

SAHM – pros

1.       Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding for an extended period of time, was important to me. Staying home allowed me to fit that into my life.

2.       Homemade food. I went full on Diane Keaton in ‘Baby Boom’. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but it was a great creative outlet for me, and I had control of the ingredients.

3.       Coverage. No scrambling to find someone to cover for me, unless you count occasionally passing the baton to Netflix while I was deep in first trimester exhaustion with my second.

4.       Control. I’ll be real here. Knowing that I could do naps, feeding and activities my way felt empowering. And that feeling was hard to come by.

SAHM – cons

1.       Loneliness. Even the best of baby babbles can't substitute for adult conversation.

2.       Achievement (or lack thereof). True, conquering Laundry Mountain gave me a fleeting sense of triumph, but it was no boardroom win.

3.       Ego. I’m an ambitious human. Being married to a high-flyer while you're grounded can be a hit to the old self-esteem.

4.       Money. I didn’t make my own and that felt weird and uncomfortable at times. It was also particularly terrifying when I realized I was headed toward divorce with my ex-husband.

Working Mom – pros

1.       Achievement. After getting back into the workforce, it felt really REALLY good to rise to a challenge and be acknowledged and rewarded for it.

2.       Mental stimulation. Turns out adults are better at discussing quarterly projections and finance strategy.

3.       Patience. Credit where credit's due—childcare providers and teachers are the unsung heroes who deal with the tough stuff, so I can bring my A-game…when the kids get tough.

4.       Money. Making my own feels pretty damn good. I love that I can contribute to my family as a caregiver and financially.

Working Mom – cons

1.       Giving up control. This one is a pro and a con. It was hard for me to relinquish control over the minute-by-minute decisions made for my little guy, but oh wow, was it so much better when I did!

2.       Guilt. I’m not alone in this, as a working Mom or a SAHM, but between the lack of time for school volunteering and missing the first time my baby clapped, guilt can creep up on me.

3.       Coverage. Ugh – the juggle is tough. I have a wonderful husband, and we work together as a team, but that scramble to push meetings around is rough. (I am also incredibly grateful to have the option to work from home, which makes the scramble a lot less intense)

4.       Overwhelm. There are days when I just want to focus on one thing – the kids or work. On those days, I romanticize being a SAHM.

So which one is better for me? Being a working Mom 100%. I don’t regret the time I spent staying home with my children. I have some incredible memories that I treasure, but I also know that it was so much harder for me than being a working Mom. I am incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to do both, and I was, and am currently, very supported by my kids’ dads in both scenarios.

Staying home with my youngest wasn’t a choice this time around, although I wouldn’t have taken it if it was, but there’s so much that goes into the decision when you do have the choice.

Now, it’s your turn, Mamas. Did you always know which team you'd bat for, or did you even get to pick? And spill—what are your unfiltered pros and cons?