Probably some of the same things you do at work while you're not *working* -- e.g., shop online, go to lunch, get a manicure, call a friend, send birthday card to your MIL, hit the drugstore at lunch, smoke a cigarette, masturbate in bathroom (ok, just threw that last one in for a laugh).

The reason you are getting some flack OP is b/c inherent in your question whether you realize it or not is a judgment, and one most likely based on how YOU PERSONALLY spend your free time. Not all of us are the same.

My kids are still home with me most of time (except mornings they are in pre-school), but for me:

Work-from-home part-time, project plan, conference calls (again part-time), hit the gym, clean my house, do laundry, call my mother, schedule play dates, wrap birthday presents, garden, paint my nails, take a shower, write emails, prep for house guests, make dinner, make lunches for next day, interview sitters, get car serviced, draw plans for house renovation, read a book, various errands, oh yeah, and masturbate in the bathroom.

Does that help?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we revert to one of the other 1200 totally hateful and mean threads on this exact topic? I'll just go ahead and sum it up: Paid work is the only valuable thing that a woman can do with her time. SAHMs are all lazy, especially if you still stay at home after your kids are in school. You're parasites who are wasting your education and you're a bad role model for your children. Read The Feminine Mistake.

Note: I'm a SAHM and I wholeheartedly disagree with everything in the above paragraph, but we all know that's how it's going to go.

Chill out dude. The question wasn't begging an argument. It was begging an answer. So you're a SAHM. What do you do?

It's been asked and answered a thousand times here, and it's always begging an argument. My babies are still little and not old enough for school yet, but I still think it's a stupid question.

I'm a WOHM and I can't say I understand the question - frankly, I think being a SAHM with kids in school sounds like a pretty fantastic gig if you can get it and I don't think it's that hard to imagine filling the time between 9 and 3 every day. It COULD begin to seem boring and pointless if you're home watching soaps every day and while I'm sure there are some moms that fall in that rut, many do not and I think I would want to try to find some sort of volunteer activity and/or hobbies that I was passionate about, but, the great thing would be, unlike work they could be done more or less to accomodate my schedule and other commitments. I would work out, garden, read, keep the house organized, cook, do a great job of keeping up with friends, help family, etc...not having to rush, rush, rush all the time sounds terrific.

This is a pipe dream because our finances certainly aren't going to allow this to time, but I'm not going to begrudge anyone who is able to make this work financially.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. I'm not a hater at all. I really am curious. Like I said, I've been off all week. Went to the movies, got a massage, did lunch w/friends, ran errands. SURE, I'd love another week of, but I truly wonder how days are spent. NOW, I don't love my job so much, that I'd run back. BUT, if I don't I hit the lottery for $200 million, then I'd find more stuff to do, believe me!

I'm a SAHM with 2 little ones (4 and 6 mo), so not the demographic you are asking. But there are a fair number of SAHMs in my neighborhood who fit that description.

They are busy. Many do volunteer work of one kind or another (church, charities or in their children's school). They get the kids off to school, pick them up, clean, shop, pick up dry cleaning, do laundry, cook, take the dog to the vet, visit elderly relatives, shuttle kids to activities, work in the yard, pursue hobbies (several are not-well-paid writers). Some are studying toward degrees in preparation to reenter the workforce.

I know I will reenter the workforce in some capacity when the kids are in school, but I'm glad that I won't be forced to do work I don't like and will get to spend summers with my kids (unless circumstances drastically change, which of course is always possible).

OP here. I'm not a hater at all. I really am curious. Like I said, I've been off all week. Went to the movies, got a massage, did lunch w/friends, ran errands. SURE, I'd love another week of, but I truly wonder how days are spent. NOW, I don't love my job so much, that I'd run back. BUT, if I don't I hit the lottery for $200 million, then I'd find more stuff to do, believe me!

Anonymous wrote:Can we revert to one of the other 1200 totally hateful and mean threads on this exact topic? I'll just go ahead and sum it up: Paid work is the only valuable thing that a woman can do with her time. SAHMs are all lazy, especially if you still stay at home after your kids are in school. You're parasites who are wasting your education and you're a bad role model for your children. Read The Feminine Mistake.

Note: I'm a SAHM and I wholeheartedly disagree with everything in the above paragraph, but we all know that's how it's going to go.

Chill out dude. The question wasn't begging an argument. It was begging an answer. So you're a SAHM. What do you do?

Can we revert to one of the other 1200 totally hateful and mean threads on this exact topic? I'll just go ahead and sum it up: Paid work is the only valuable thing that a woman can do with her time. SAHMs are all lazy, especially if you still stay at home after your kids are in school. You're parasites who are wasting your education and you're a bad role model for your children. Read The Feminine Mistake.

Note: I'm a SAHM and I wholeheartedly disagree with everything in the above paragraph, but we all know that's how it's going to go.

Ugh. There is a looong thread on this from a couple of months ago. Search the archives.

I have wondered the same.

My child is in a private K and there is a couple moms who don't work but the majority do. Its kind of funny bc when I met the one SAHM, she admitted that she stayed home and there was kind of a silence between us that she kind of stumbled over to fill. It was funny bc we both knew exactly what I was thinking "really??? your kids are all in school and you are at home? why?" She kind came up with some answer but I could see she wasn't comfortable with it.

For me personally, I can't imagine being home everyday, day in and day out with nothing really defined to do. For me volunteering at school a few hours and running errands or just hanging out for lunch and going to the gym wouldn't cut it long term for me but I can see that it does for other moms so I think that's what some of them do with their time.

Shes not a hater. I wonder the same thing all the time. I would be a terrible SAHM because I would slowly but surely stop motivating for all the activities i manage to jam pack when my time is precious. I know myself. What do you do all day?

I am a WOHM too and I totally get the question. No hating.

What's WOHM?

I am a WOHM and you are a hater.

I'm not trying to be funny, but if your kids are in school, what do you do all day? I've been on vacation all of this week, and LOVING it. Wishing I didn't have to go back. But, now that it's the end of the week, I'm wondering what would I be doing if this was my way of life? I feel like I'd run out of money & things to do.

Just curious....