Reply to I hate when people assume I have a ton of free time because I SAH

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Are the people in this thread living in 2021? So much of the commentary seems trapped in an earlier time.

A lot of people just get their groceries and other errands delivered these days. If you work a desk job, you actually can do your grocery shopping at work, as well as ordering random stuff for the house, buying kids clothes, booking a handyman, making dentist appointments, etc. And most people I know do these things during their work day, especially with the rise of WFH. I can't think of anyone, including the many middle class families I know, who actually save all these tasks for after work or the weekends.

So in many ways a SAHM is in the same situation as most working parents, doing the work of life while doing another job. It's just that the "other job" is caring for a small child (in OP's case, a 2yo, which is very labor intensive).

I don't understand why OP's time can't be respected as much as you would respect any working parent's time. It's weird how people assume that because you are home with your kids, your life must not be hard. I remember when my kid started preschool and I went back to work, my MIL started saying things to me like "Oh it must be so much harder now that you're working." I wasn't offended, I was just confused. My life got so much easier when I went back to work and my kid was in school all day! I felt like I could think full thoughts and get things done, and not just work things, for the first time in years. The first couple months of this new arrangement, I got the house painted, hired a landscaper, reorganized our coat closet, and got us on a meal prep schedule to streamline making lunches and dinners. That would have been so much harder (to impossible) when I was still SAHMing because I never got a moment to think with a toddler around all day. Especially once she started dropping naps left and right. I am much better able to help out friends now, and I'm a much more attentive sister and daughter too. Those first few years at home with my DD were wonderful in many ways. But I've never worked harder or felt like my time was less my own.[/quote]

You must have some cushy job to spend that much time shopping while working. [/quote]

Yes, I do. Unlike a SAHM, who does not.[/quote]

Okay, sure.  A job where you sit in shopping is easier than SAH.  I'm sure you have time for phone calls and reading for book club.  What exactly is your point?[/quote]

That being a SAHM to a very young child is harder and more time-consuming than many jobs, including mine. And probably yours too. Know what I didn't have time to do when I was at home with a 2 yr old? Argue with strangers online. And if you'll notice, OP has been MIA since originally posting. Maybe she just doesn't want to engage, but when I was in that position, I literally did not have the time to post on a site like this during the day. Whereas now I sit at a desk answering emails and doing research and writing presentations, and it's exceedingly easy to take a few minutes to check DCUM and type out a response (on my computer, where I already am, and not on my phone with one hand while my 2 yo calls to me from the slide that some other kid "isn't giving me a turn!" which is what my life used to be like and thus why I didn't use to spend any time on DCUM).

What, exactly, is your point?[/quote]

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