Reply to It seems SAHM & working mom live in different world

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I feel so sorry for all of these SAHMs. It’s like Betty Draper. They seem so miserable being stuck at home with kids they don’t even like, while their husbands go out and live their lives, which their wives don’t and can’t understand. No wonder their husbands seek solace with other women. I mean, I’m on DCUM right now to kill time while I’m on a boring webcast at work - why are SAHMs on here right now? Shouldn’t they be spending time with their children, since that’s literally their full-time job?[/quote]

Is this a cartoon? I'm a working mom but I don't know a single SAHM like what you describe. All the SAHMs I know seem really happy and are often more productive than plenty of people I know who work for money.[/quote]

NP. Maybe you know SAHMs who weren’t destined for anything more. The ones I know could have been a lot more and seem pretty disappointed with their lives. [/quote]

This also describes most of the working moms I know, too. Sure, some people's careers went just as they hoped. But that's rare. Most people hit a ceiling in life and it's common for people in their 30s and 40s to have some wistful "what might have been" feelings. Just because someone has that as a SAHM versus an office drone who will never rise above middle manager doesn't make it worse. It's the same thing.

I also know some SAHMs who felt that way and then started second careers once their kids were in MS/HS, and what they would tell you is that it is a season of life. There can be doldrums to being a SAHM to young kids, especially in a culture where often other people do not respect what you do (see, e.g. this thread, your comments). But I know SAHMs who started their own businesses, got PhDs, and re-entered law or consulting after a stint of 10+ years at home. And my observation is that their time out of the workforce seems to have made them more balanced, efficient, steady workers, too -- it's harder to be phased by a cranky client or a pressing deadline when you've dealt with the ups and downs of raising children for a decade. It gives you a greater sense of perspective and also some reserves of patience and ingenuity you might not have had pre-kids.[/quote]

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