Inspired By SAHM thread.

[brendalee59]

A thread I can relate to! I also stay at home. I haven't worked since our oldest DD was in 3rd grade, and that was a just for something to do job. Our youngest are 14 yr old boy/girl twins, and man are they a pain in the rear to raise! My DH and I have always felt it was important for me to stay home. I'm not going to lie, I love it. I'm also not one to be busy all day every day. I pretty much spend my time sitting in front of the computer. Oh don't get me wrong, I do get my housework done...most days. But I'm just not a busy person. unless running children and grandchildren to and from various practices counts... Anyhoo, I know I just jumped on this thread, I'm hoping I'm welcome to stay and get to make some new internet friends.
Brenda

 

[tinatark]

Dawn, I did it backwards, too. I worked until the Friday before I had each of my boys - had one on Saturday, one on a Sunday. Stayed home with them for 12 weeks each, then they had sitters at our home until my youngest (they're 19 mos apart) was about a year old - they started at a center after that. I was a manager at a bank - worked while they were with sitters and at pre-school.

When we moved, my oldest was about to start kindergarten - I've been home with them during their most critical school years. I can't imagine having to pick them up at 4 or 5, and rushing through the evening stuff we have to do! They're in 7th and 8th grade now.

Now,I tell everyone with babies to let the sitters have them as infants - potty training, etc. and stay home after they start school!

 

[Rozzie]

Another nurse here. I work PRN, and only average about 27 hours a week. No kids. I get weird looks all the time about why I don't work more. I have a hour commute to work, and it makes no sense to work more with gas and wear and tear. I could get a job closer, but I like my freedom, can go on vacations. (DH gets 4 weeks a year, try squeezing that out of a hospital) It is amazing how everyone has a opinion about how much you work, or don't work in general conversation. I love my time off, I love to run, read, clean, cook, and nap!!

Like Disney Doll, if I won the lottery, I would never look back, and never miss nursing. It's hard hard work, especially with the lawsuit happy world. The patients are more demanding, with very little respect. I have thought about going private duty more than once, but it would be very hard to get that close to someone for me then lose them over and over.

Dawn, I think it's great that you are in a position where you can not work. More power to you!

 

[PrincessKitty1]

Another nurse here. I work PRN, and only average about 27 hours a week. No kids. I get weird looks all the time about why I don't work more. I have a hour commute to work, and it makes no sense to work more with gas and wear and tear. I could get a job closer, but I like my freedom, can go on vacations. (DH gets 4 weeks a year, try squeezing that out of a hospital) It is amazing how everyone has a opinion about how much you work, or don't work in general conversation. I love my time off, I love to run, read, clean, cook, and nap!!

Yup, I work three 12 hour shifts a week (and previously had worked 7 days on/7 days off) and everybody tells me THEY would sign up for more hours. Uh, no, I'd rather go away for one weekend a month, sell books on Amazon, go kayaking, read mysteries, and play with my dog, thanks. Oh yeah, and my house IS cleaner than when I worked Monday through Friday.

 

[DVCLiz]

Yes, I call it "early retirement." I enjoy it very much, and have for seven years. I had a nice twenty year career in a field I loved, and I might go back some day (probably part time) when my youngest is out of the house, but honestly, I love to putter around. I do a lot of needlework and I can read, run casual errands, have lunch with friends, etc. It's a nice stage of my life.

I like the lists of hardest to easiest that others have posted, and I agree that stay at home with school age/grown children is by far the least stressful.

 

[wvjules]

Stay at home wife = housewife? Much shorter and to the point.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Stay at home wife = housewife? Much shorter and to the point.

I totally agree. I don't know why some people are so dead set against using that one.

 

[KariC]

You are retired. You should tell people you are retired. I think I would look at you odd if you told me your occupation was "I stay home"! lol. If someone inquires about your age at retirement, just tell them you planned ahead. Its nobodys buisness anyway! Good for you and your DH!

I say retired, and I'm only 34!

Besides, you get more street cred when you say, "I'm a retired so-and-so".

 

[mickeyboat]

Coming back to agree that although I enjoy working, and do get some fulfillment out of it, if I won the lottery, I would quit in a heartbeat.

Denae

 

[TXTink]

I totally agree. I don't know why some people are so dead set against using that one.

I'm not... I'm very happy with who I am (so is my WOHH... Work Out of the House Husband )... just trying to make a funny! I find these acronyms funny too!

 

[DawnCt1]

I will tell you that if I won the lottery tomorrow I would stop working immediately, and never look back, never miss it, never think about it again. I do not derive any sort of "sense of self" from working. I enjoy meeting and caring for my patients and give them my all when I am with them, but if I never had to care for another person again, it wouldn't break my heart.

I totally understand. I had a fun job, which is almost an oxymoron in nursing, but I did occupational health. When I ran a flu shot clinic it was actually fun. I got to socialize with a lot of the employees for 5 minutes, it was fast paced, the day went by quickly at a very easy task. I saw employees on a regular basis and could actually spend time doing health teaching, listening to them, etc; you know the stuff that we did in nursing school that you can't even begin to think about in a hospital setting. I still run into employees all of the time and they all run up and hug me. It was every bit a "customer service" position as it was a health position because most companies that are not involved in industry are doing away with Occ. Health nurses so my goal was to make the clinic a great place to come to and a great benefit to have. I also did a lot of ergonomics with adaptive equipment for repetive motion injuries and at one point, myself and another nurse were thinking about starting a consulting business but she went and had twins!

 

[marybet]

Stay at home wife = housewife? Much shorter and to the point.

I don't think it is the same. I am not married to my house.

 

[Shugardrawers]

I frequently feel as if I have to justify my staying home when we have no children. As if spending 5 years battling a life threatening illness weren't reason enough Dh finally came up with this rebuttal:

"I work at home"

Oh? Doing what?

"A little of everything really. Some bookkeeping (true, I balance the bank account daily), internet research (also true, I'm always researching my illness or my next wdw trip), I also do some in home pet care and light housekeeping"

A couple of times I've been asked how much I get for that and I just say "not nearly what it's worth" and if I'm asked about taking new clients I say I've got all I can handle and then give them a friends number.

 

[mom23boys]

I am a SAHM. I do work 2 days a week for 6 hours while my kids are in school they are 13, 8 and 5. I work 8:30-2:30, no holidays (kids are off so am I), no working weekends, christmas break, and especially no summers. I work from mid Sept to Mid May.

I make money for Christmas and Vacations. I love staying home. I am not busy all day, the laundry piles up but I do not care. I will never go back to work full time (unless is it financially needed, and at this point I do not see that happening).

I feel very lucky I can do this. I do not cook everynight, tonight was alot of running around so it was Chick-fil-A for dinner. And you know what it does not bother me.

I get lots of comments at work about working 2 days for 6 hours, but I look at it this way HR knew what I wanted to work and I was very up front about what I wanted and they still needed me. So if the ladies in the office have a problem with it I tell them to talk to HR.

I know lots of woman who stay home with school age or older children and they love it. If you can do it go ahead and do not feel guilty about it.

 

[rie'smom]

I'm a SAHM too. When people ask how I feel about not working, I tell them I feel very lucky. Shuts them up quickly.

 

[Aisling]

My only advice, Dawn, is I wouldn't call myself a SAHM if my youngest was 20 years old.

My kids are 15 and 21, and I'm a SAHM. I don't wipe noses or change diapers, but I'm the household backbone and support for my kids and DH. My 21 year old is working full time and in graduate school at night, and I make sure he has a hot meal when he gets home at 10 PM every night. I take his suits to the cleaners (he works in a law firm), etc. I do my dinner cooking early in the day, so that when the 15 year old gets home from school, I can make sure he starts his home work, which he wouldn't do until late if he had his way. You get the idea.

My point is, no matter how old my kids are, if they're living at home, and if I spend a fair amount of my day being their support person so that they are able to work towards their life goals, I qualify as a SAHM.