Guilt. Is it me?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Zero guilt here from mom of an 18 month old DD with a similar schedule to yours, except I DO work Fridays and my daughter is at daycare. And I sometimes get a sitter for a few hours on the weekends to go work out if my husband is traveling. Do I miss her during the week? On occasion. But we spend a lot of time together and I feel totally bonded with her.

Your kid is fine. If you don't think she is or you feel like you're missing out, quit work and stay home with her.

This. I must be missing the gene that inclines you to guilt because this is exactly how I feel, too. I've WOH ft, pt, and now SAH with two kids (and with nursery school/childcare swaps/babysitting!!). Try not to let your kid see your guilt. If you're happy and happy around her, she'll be happy and secure too.

[Anonymous]

Some moms don't feel guilt and love their work and some moms pine away for more hours with their children. I fall into the latter.

Do your best with the time you have, but see if there is a way you can optimize your time or have more time with your child if that is important to you.

[Anonymous]

OP, you might feel better when your child gets older and can do more fun stuff with the nanny. It's hard to feel guilty when my kids spend the day at the lake with our nanny, for example. I honestly think she's more fun than I would be if I were a SAHM!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some moms don't feel guilt and love their work and some moms pine away for more hours with their children. I fall into the latter.

Do your best with the time you have, but see if there is a way you can optimize your time or have more time with your child if that is important to you.

And some moms don't feel guilt and don't especially love their work. I work because we need the money and other benefits that my job provides. I refuse to feel guilty because I help pay for the roof over my kids' heads, the food they eat, the clothes they wear, the medical care they receive, etc. They are healthy, they are happy, and we love each other. No reason to feel guilty, because I'm not doing anything wrong.

Which is not the same as wishing I could spend more time with them. I think you can wish you had more time with your kids without feeling guilty about the time you spend away.