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Family Forum / Parenting / Parenting / January 2006stay at home moms
I am a stay at home mom (part-time) but wish i could work fulltime. I don't know that being at home offers the whole kit and kaboodle. Any help to figure out should i be home or should i be at work? If i'm home what should i be doing to challenge myself and my children. >I am a stay at home mom (part-time) but wish i could work fulltime. I > don't know that being at home offers the whole kit and kaboodle. Any > help to figure out should i be home or should i be at work? If i'm home > what should i be doing to challenge myself and my children. If home is what you decide: 1. Routine. Make yourself a schedule similar to a preschool, if child(ren) old enough. Plan activities. 2. Join play groups. 3. Get out and about, kid's museums, grocery shopping, playgrounds, whatever. > If home is what you decide: > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > 3. Get out and about, kid's museums, grocery shopping, playgrounds, > whatever. Also be sure to make plenty of time for yourself to do adult things. Take a class or two, go out with friends routinely. Marie > Also be sure to make plenty of time for yourself to do adult things. Take a > class or two, go out with friends routinely. And do voluntary work with an organisation you are interested in.  SignatureChookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) "In Melbourne there is plenty of vigour and eagerness, but there is nothing worth being eager or vigorous about." Francis Adams, The Australians, 1893. > I am a stay at home mom (part-time) but wish i could work fulltime. I > don't know that being at home offers the whole kit and kaboodle. Any > help to figure out should i be home or should i be at work? If i'm home > what should i be doing to challenge myself and my children. I think that the bottom line is that when mom is happy, the kids are happy. If you're resentful being home and would rather be elsewhere, you might be doing the children a diservice by being home. Your first sentence (in my opinion) is very telling "but I wish I could work fulltime." Why, may I ask, are you home then? There is no perfect situation whether you work full time, part time, stay home full time, or stay home part time. There are pros and cons of all of those situations; like life, there's good and there's not so good. You were given some great ideas in the previous posts. Being bored or not challenged is up to you. Heck, just having the internet for resources, groups, connections and ideas is incredible and something that many of older folks didn't have :-) I really am curious about what's keeping you home if you'd rather be working. In your last paragraph, you wrote "if I'm home....", are you home or are you not home??? > I think that the bottom line is that when mom is happy, the kids are > happy. If you're resentful being home and would rather be elsewhere, [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > or stay home part time. There are pros and cons of all of those > situations; like life, there's good and there's not so good. And some people are cut out to be SAHMs, some are not. I love it more than I ever expected - my best friend gets stir-crazy when she is home just for the weekend. It sort of depends on your personality and where you are in your life, too. > You were given some great ideas in the previous posts. Being bored or > not challenged is up to you. Heck, just having the internet for > resources, groups, connections and ideas is incredible and something > that many of older folks didn't have :-) You can make your own stimulus if you have a local coffee house, library or bookstore - you don't have to be limited to child-centric activities! -L. > > I think that the bottom line is that when mom is happy, the kids are > > happy. If you're resentful being home and would rather be elsewhere, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > just for the weekend. It sort of depends on your personality and > where you are in your life, too. Yup. One sister was a SAHM a couple of times (took a year off, then went back to work, years later took another year off). She went NUTS. In fact, the 2nd time she volunteered so much that she was busier than when she was working full-time. She hated being home and was miserable. Another sister has always been a SAHM (8 yrs now) and is happy as a clam. She volunteers but not FT, is very active in her kids' school and other projects. When the kids were smaller she was active in more age-appropriate stuff for them. > > You were given some great ideas in the previous posts. Being bored or > > not challenged is up to you. Heck, just having the internet for [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > library or bookstore - you don't have to be limited to child-centric > activities! Exactly. Kid stuff is good for the kids, but adult stuff is good too. Maybe find places that allow for both? A coffee house would never work for us! Not at this run-around-like-crazy 2 year old stage! :) It really sounds like the OP already has her mind made up that she's not cut out to be a SAHM. I would love to be one, but unfortunately our finances don't permit right now. I will be off for a year on maternity leave starting in May so I'm looking forward to that! Some things to do are: swimming, play groups, public gardens or parks, feeding ducks, pet stores, etc.... I think a schedule is very important, at least a weekly schedule if not daily. Try to schedule activities around nap and meal times. We hold an annual membership at a public garden where we walk, look at flowers, and feed the ducks. We also hold one at our fluvarium, which has a window under the water and lots of cool water animals... Both are about 20-30 a year and soooo worth it!! There are also lots of indoor crafts you can do, depending on the children's age. From painting to baking to making cheerio/fruit loop necklaces! Do things that you find fun too... |
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