? for stay at home moms/wives

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

but when the kids get home our busyness begins again. Homework, dinner, driving them to activities, etc. It's hardly quiet at that point!

ITA. The older they get, the harder the afternoons are. DH is glad he does not have to drive them to activities, cook dinner, grocery shop, clean house, laundry, etc. He can come home from his job that he truly loves, have a happy wife and kids, a homecooked meal, and can just relax. It works well for us. My youngest is 10, so I am a SAHM, but also a SAHW.

I also have a Masters degree in education. I have no desire to go back and teach.

 

[skiwee1]

Skiwee, not only have we been at home with our kids for many years and maybe have the "I've paid my dues" mentality, but when the kids get home our busyness begins again. Homework, dinner, driving them to activities, etc. It's hardly quiet at that point! And I still need to make that spa appointment!

Same here! My 17 y/o gets home from high school at 10:30 am every day. He is the Jumpstart colleget program so luckily I don't have to deal with him too much. LOL! My 6 y/o gets home close to 4pm. From then until bedtime it is rush rush rush. We have homework, projects, dinner, bathtime and bedtime. Somewhere in between 4 and 8pm we find time for playtime! It is hectic around here. I get my fun for the first hour or so when she goes to school. Then I work around the house. Lunch out or spa usually happens around 1pm then it's home for dinner prep and back to that jam session!

 

[darrose]

Being a stay at home mom is great for me. Like some have mentioned it puts me in a riskier position materially IF something unexpected happens , but its a risk that seems small and something that I will deal with if it ever happens.

If would be nice to see women more often supporting women in each other in their different choices (SAHM verus WORKING) no matter what they are instead of berating each other into trying to make women do the same choices they have made for themselves.

Having done both, work and being a SAHM, being a SAHM wins hand down on my personal happiness.
That being said, my best friend will never be a SAHM and for her personal happiness its work outside of the home forever. When she got laid off I was there for her and now encouraging her to succeed as she reinvents her career by starting her own business as a personal chef. In her case, she says it took her 20 years in the corparate world to figure out one needs to do what they love and for her thats cooking.
The point of my friends story? Life is risky. No one is safe from having things happen to them that they didnt expect. And sometimes its the bumps in life that leads us on a course that may be more rewarding. So, lets as women, support and even respect each other for all the different choices we have now in our society.

 

[txgirl]

Same here! My 17 y/o gets home from high school at 10:30 am every day. He is the Jumpstart colleget program so luckily I don't have to deal with him too much. LOL! My 6 y/o gets home close to 4pm. From then until bedtime it is rush rush rush. We have homework, projects, dinner, bathtime and bedtime. Somewhere in between 4 and 8pm we find time for playtime! It is hectic around here. I get my fun for the first hour or so when she goes to school. Then I work around the house. Lunch out or spa usually happens around 1pm then it's home for dinner prep and back to that jam session!

Just curious, how far apart are your kids? Your house sounds like mine will in a few years. My youngest is 3 and my oldest is 11 and when the bus pulls up it's like starting a whole new day! By the time we have dinner all the homework is done so unless we have games or practice we can actually have time together.

I agree with you about some "me" time. It's interesting that there are people who work who are so offended that women who are SAHM's or SAHW's would actually have time to do something fun. When I worked I had lunch out everyday, special parties/baby showers/wedding showers, chit chats on the edge of my bosses desk (for way too long! ). While I accomplished *some* work each day we did lots of gabbing and socializing too! All the while getting paid

Don't knock staying home till you've tried it!

 

[NMAmy]

The reality of the legal system is that it could take you months or years to actually collect a dime of alimony or child support. In the meanwhile, you need to eat.

"He is just a kind and decent man that would never do that" are perhaps the most famous last words in marital history. I'm sure your husband is, and I'm sure you're very lucky ... tens of thousands of women have learned the hard way just how untrue that assumption can be.

I had the same thought, Caradana. I used to think that movie War of the Roses was just way out there until I got divorced myself. It's amazing the way people change when going through a divorce.

 

[skiwee1]

Just curious, how far apart are your kids? Your house sounds like mine will in a few years. My youngest is 3 and my oldest is 11 and when the bus pulls up it's like starting a whole new day! By the time we have dinner all the homework is done so unless we have games or practice we can actually have time together.

IQUOTE]


My kids are 6, 17, and 22. I even have my 22 y/o living at home. At least I don't have to do her clothes! LOL!

 

[Planogirl]

I used to be a SAHM too and I am now but by force. It's just not that easy to get a job that will cover the mortgage, car payment, utilities, credit cards and so on all that quickly. Your skills tend to get rusty and in some areas, it takes time to land that "good" job.

Savings are good but you may go through them while you're searching unless you have an awful lot of savings. Husbands will probably continue the financial support in most cases but you never really know. Life can be screwy that way.

I'm not saying to keep on working. I've done the SAHM thing too. But it wouldn't hurt to brush up on software and other things, and keep your skills up in some manner.