Do you enjoy being a SAHM?

[JellyBean]

Interesting thread!

My answer.... yes, but. Yes, but I do crave mental stimulation and contact with the outside world sometimes. It can get boring at home - for sure. I am also a person who is at their best when they are busy. I mean- the more time I have, the more time I waste. Then I get frustrated at myself!! I feel guilty for not having a perfectly clean house when I have so much time on my hands. I really hate housework.... and I'm certainly not ashamed to admit it!!

Then again, if I actually imagine myself going off to work, dropping DS at his nannas or daycare, it makes me sad- and a bit jealous, and I don't want that either.
So for now I find it useful to remind myself of this simple fact in order to get a realistic perspective; he/they will only be this little for so long. A really short time, when you consider the potential life span we have ahead of us. Once my kids are 'in the system' - kindy, school etc - there's no going back. I will have time to work and not feel guilty, and then soon enough they will become young adults, and they wont rely on me for much, therefore I will have 3 decades to work if I so choose. That's a long time!!

Sometimes doing the 'flash-forward' really helps me to appreciate what I have now. I imagine myself sitting in an office etc, being answerable to a boss and collegues etc, traffic, rushing to get dinner on, not feeling as though I have time to stop and smell the roses, and I think whoa- that's whats coming, so enjoy the now. Enjoy the boring. Because once the boring is over, its going to get bloody hectic for a long time to come! So long as I continue to get out once a day - even if its just a walk around the suburbs, I figure I am probably adding years to my life with the absence of stress - that everyday, busy routine, deadline stress that work brings.

On the other hand - I only have 1 child at the moment! I'm sure that when #2 (and possibly #3) arrives I won't have time to be bored and I will long for the time I once had.