What do you think is harder - SAHM or working mum?

Glamazon

I work full time and its hard!

40 minutes to do creche drop off and get to work
8 hour day
40 minutes to do creche pick up and get home
Feed LO
Spend time with LO
Bath and bed for LO
Cook tea
Make Lunchboxes
Load DW
Sit down around 9pm
Bed at 10pm
Usually 2 wake ups in the night, can be up for around 20-30mins each time.

My house is generally a tip as Housework gets done on the weekends.

At least when I was at home, I could nap when baby did and get the housework done during the day.

ilovecheese

I dont have children (by choice) and I think any kind of mum - stay at home or working, has an incredibly hard job!

missiemog

i was a working mum up until DS2 was born. i didn't return after mat leave and have been at home since then (DS2 is 14 months).

i have to say, personally, that being a SAHM is the most challenging and unrewarding. i much prefer being a working mother (and, i think, so do my children and OH). fortunately i have managed to get myself a local full time job starting next week.

i fully applaud all those SAH mothers AND fathers who both choose to be and enjoy it, however it's not for everyone.

(am now ducking head in preparation for barrage of 'how could you's!')

tiamai_d

I've had it both ways, and part time too. They each have their own rewards and issues. They are very different so can't really be compared.

Personally I found being a student easier (3 full days a week, 2 children 1 who has special needs and then pregnant during that year). It was a nice mix of both worlds.

sassyblue

Person_one wrote: »

Do no working mums have partners to take on 50% of the baby care and housework?

I love your innocence!! Not long ago me and hubby had a humdinger of a row l couldn't get him to see that l had to have help in the house - l told him to step up or ship out. He works full-time, me part time but aswell as all the housework, cleaning, laundry, l was also doing our LO's bed routine every night and tidying away the tea things, whilst hubby sauntered off to the loo with a book, browsed the internet or tidied his shed for the umpteenth time. Things are alot better now niow he's helping in fact l can't believe how different it is to actually have someone to help.

Regards the OP l think working mums have it worse, you still have all your other chores to do aswell as another job, albeit one that pays.

And l really don't know how working single mums manage it. :eek:

MERFE

I done it all, I tried SAHM but it really doesn't suit me I need the outside contact and routine a job brings. So tried Full time working with childcare, which was expensive and hardly worth the massive hassle it was, constantly tired no time with kids etc. Now I work evenings and on sunday, its not perfect I still get really tired but with no need for childcare it is worth going to work and it keeps me a bit sane. It is also lovely to be able to take the kids to and from school now they are that age and I'm glad I'm not missing out on this school holiday time by working during the day. It just such a shame the school orgnanise everything for a wednesday night, discos, parents evening etc

galvanizersbaby

sassyblue wrote: »

I love your innocence!! Not long ago me and hubby had a humdinger of a row l couldn't get him to see that l had to have help in the house - l told him to step up or ship out. He works full-time, me part time but aswell as all the housework, cleaning, laundry, l was also doing our LO's bed routine every night and tidying away the tea things, whilst hubby sauntered off to the loo with a book, browsed the internet or tidied his shed for the umpteenth time. Things are alot better now niow he's helping in fact l can't believe how different it is to actually have someone to help.

Regards the OP l think working mums have it worse, you still have all your other chores to do aswell as another job, albeit one that pays.

And l really don't know how working single mums manage it. :eek:

I'm a single mum to 2 and work full time - for me personally I think it's about being well organised - I do the Tesco's food shop in my lunch hour/reheat batch cooked food when we get home as and when needed and I do housework perhaps an hour a night and on a Saturday morning usually (kids help and earns them their pocket money )

Having said that I only have a 2 bedroom property so not huge to clean and I do get a night away from the children in the week and also a night and a day at the weekend when they go to their dad's so I have got this time to utilise - though I try not to do housework;)

I think it's whatever you get used to though I have to admit I do often see threads on here asking for help with work/life/family balance etc and sometimes I wonder what all the fuss is about?

****kara****

I have done both and I would say imo working mums have it harder. I used to work full time and I was absolutely knackered by the time I got in. I was on my feet for 9 hrs constantly running around lol so by the time I got back I was too tired to play with my son although I read him stories etc. I used to be out of the house by 7.15am and back at 6pm. Sometimes I was asleep by 8pm. OH used to do the housework and dinner during the week and I would do it at the weekends.

I'm now a SAHM and OH works FT. Tbh although it's rewarding, it can also be boring too. I find I put off housework because like someone else mentioned there's always tomorrow. I found I was more organised when I was working.

Youngest starts school this year so hopefully I will be able to find a job that will give me the holidays off

jcr16

when my dd was 7 month i returned to work. i worked at the hospital. i love my job as a nurse. as my seniors told me. i was a natural. i enjoyed making others happy, seeing to their needs . nothing was too much i loved it all. but with a dd of 7 months and shifts hours which were awful , i found it so hard. i hated being away from my dd. i felt so guilty.

i gave up work . best thing i ever did. when my youngest was born i then had 3 children 4 and under and yes it can be hard. but you can make your day as hard or as easy as you want. i don't regret it one bit . i love every min with my lil ones.

our family isn't finished yet . woudl like a few more children. but once the youngest is at school i then might get a job of a few hours a week. but i want to be the mum who is there to always take her children to school and always be there to collect them.

i think it is prob harder being a working mum as your thinking all the time about the guilt of not being with your children and once your day is over htne coming home to see to house and family etc.

i love being a stay at home mum, and i'm very lucky that my hubby has a good job so i can do this, and he is fully supportive. i know i'm one lucky lady and i enjoy every min.

my dd teacher works full time and has 4 children. she is an amazing lady and i have to say i think she is an inspiration. i couldn't do what she does. but she really inspires you to think it is possible to work full time and have a family. any mum who can work full time and raise a family, is amazing. i couldn't do it.

raq

I am a stay at home mum. 3 children under 9. Again I am very lucky that my husband is also very supportive and always stays it is up to me if i eant to work. My mum use to have my 2 for 5 years then I fell pregnant and felt they have had there time and didn't want to put another child on them. ( I also use to pay them for looking after my 2 ).

I do miss work on the odd occasion as I have been home now for 4 1.2 years. It is hard considering I worked since I was 14 and I am now 41.

The way I look at it you always have to do whats best for you and the family. My 2 little one's have been ill a lot of the last 18 months and if I had to juggle work and this then I would be literally pulling my hair out.