Reply to If you left a decent career to sahm… do you miss the intellectual stimulation?

Forum Index » General Parenting Discussion

Reply to "If you left a decent career to sahm… do you miss the intellectual stimulation?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Yes, but not enough to go back.

You can have goals and mentally stimulate yourself by keeping your house running like a well-oiled machine (decluttering, cleaning schedule to keep your home in pristine condition, yard work, preparing balanced meals, etc) and opportunities for hobbies and volunteering while kids are in school, or mommy and me activities that can enrich your child(ren) and you can have some conversation with other adults. Your days don’t have to be aimless if you plan out your days like you did at work. It took me about 5 years to get this. [/quote]

Op here. This is me! It’s like I’ve had time to tackle all the projects I don’t have time for while I’m working that drive me crazy - or that I spend my limited free time on weekends and resent my husband for not helping with. Cooking healthy meals, having organized pantries and playrooms, meal prep, being the one who picks my older kids up from school. Being home is a huge relief in that sense, because I was doing a lot of this while working but not doing it well, and was constantly spread thin.

But then I’ll organize a pantry or a closet and think “is this what I ‘m using my brain for?”

And I get it - it’s not. I’d be using to raise my kids if I stayed at home and there’s value in that. But when I was working, I was so desperate to stay home because I was miserable trying to balance everything. And now that I’m at home (albeit on leave) I realize what a sacrifice it can be for a sahp who want intellectual stimulation and their own validation but also want to raise their kids themselves and have a smoothly running home without the grind that comes with two working parents.

Interestingly, me being home has also allowed my husband to lean into his career more. He doesn’t have to help with doctors appointments or school pickups or taking care of dinner. There are always fresh cooked meals. I don’t mind picking up extra around the house because I have the time for it. And while that delegation is neater, I feel like it creates a dynamic where my husband has his career and my day to day revolves around taking care of an infant, shuttling the older kids, cooking dinner, or my home projects… which I think is boring to him. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics