do you think being a SAHM is 2 full times job?

Question

On another question someone stated SAHM "Stay at home moms" as being as hard as 2 full time jobs.
I'VE been both. I'm a mom to a 10 month old 11 year old 9 year old. I curently work. FOR ME working then having household childcare to look after after work is way "so much more" demanding then when i only had the home and kids to look after. YES SAHM do work i'm not saying it's easy!. FOR ME personally working and then coming home is a whole giant TON harder.

please explain your reasons for the way you feel.
For me i get up at 4am working housekeep at a nursing home 8-10 hours come home do homework bottles diapers diner laundry. I DON'T get all day to do just the house so i work then come home and have to crap to keep the house running also.

giving the choice i would stay at home only.

Answer 1

Having been in both situations, you can definitely get more done as a stay at home mom. When i stayed at home, I didn't sit around and watch tv all day. I did the housework, took care of my child, prepared bfast, lunch and dinner, and ran my errands. I paid the bills, did the laundry, cleaned the showers, cleaned out the litter boxes, fed the animals, did all the grocery shopping, etc. But in the evenings, I was always able to find time to sit down with my family and relax for an hour or so. Now that I work, I am away from home for the first 8 hours. I still do everything I did when i was a stay at home mom, but now I add 8 hours of full time work a day to that load. I do not have the time to enjoy my family like I used to.

Answer 2

It depends on your situation and your personality. I've been a SAHM and a working Mom. Each has it's plus and minuses. If you work full-time, I recommend that you pull your child out of "preschool" and just have him in one place all day. Many daycares will provide a structured "preschool" time at some point in the day. I would find a daycare that will be able to take both your kids (the 3 year old and the newborn). Make things as easy on you and the kids as possible. As far as the money, even if you just "break even" with daycare, work clothes, and gas, you are gaining valuable work experience and increasing your earning potential for the future. You'll also be adding money into social security funds. It's an investment in your financial future. I've been a SAHM for about 4-5 years. I'm ready to go back to work, but I have no references and no recent experience. Even though I had a well paying career, I'm going to have to start over again at the bottom and work my way up again.

Answer 3

I am a SAHM of two boys, ages 2 and 1. Our 2 year old has a disability, so generally during the day, I do not have time for housework or cleaning or cooking or laundry. Its even harder when the therapists are here(they come 4 times a week) and I have to have there equipment ready and whatnot. I am thankful though that my hubby makes enough money to support us comfortably and I can stay home to raise them.

One day I do want to return to work, and maybe get my masters, but until then, I do have my hands as full as possible at home. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Have a great day!

Answer 4

Hi I am a new mom of a 4 month old little girl. I stay home with the baby during the day and work 2 nights week at a restaurant. I cook, clean, take care of baby and try and fit in a little time for the hubby. If I could I would love to work more, for me it is kinda like a little break from it all. My husband goes to work earlier now just so he can have a break and i do all the work. So I think that it is much easier to work than to be a stay at home mom. If I didn't get to go to work when I do I would probably go crazy.

Answer 5

Some women find it much less demanding to work at a job in the day and then come home and attend to the kids late in the day, others, like yourself, find it more difficult.

My cousin found being a SAHM way too much for her...she couldn't do it - but when she went back to work full time, it was like a load off her shoulders. She was a better mom, she was happier, the kids were happier...it was better all around. You have to find the right balance for your life.

Both combining a job and parenting and being a stay at home parent are difficult and challenging in their own ways...there's no use comparing the two.

EDIT - LMAO - stay at home moms don't 'get the whole day to do just the house' either...there are these pesky little things called 'children' around...you can't ignore them all day while you clean. I stayed at home with my kids for a reason, and it wasn't to clean the house all day. I get most of my real cleaning done after the kids are in bed...the daytime is just maintenance.

Answer 6

I think it's probably equally as much work to do both.
I know when I get home from work, I don't get a chance to relax or kick back. I go directly from working at work to working at home.
I can say, for me, that on the weekends, I do what a SAHM does and I am much more relaxed than the rest of the week (even though I'm still going non-stop). I suppose it depends on your work too, some jobs are much more stressful than others.

Answer 7

I'm a SAHM with 4 boys. I homeschool them also. I do not have time during the day to do the housework and have to try to fit it in during the evenings. I have almost no down time. Do I think one is easier than the other? Nope, absolutely not. However, if I had a job that I went to, that would mean no kids in the house all day to make the mess to begin with. Being a mom is a ton of work, no matter what else you choose to do.

Answer 8

i think the reason people say this is b/c a SAHM never gets to leave her job at the door. you are constantly at work....even when you sleep, you are "on call" b/c either there's no one else to get up with a screaming kid, or since you're the SAHM, it's just part of your job to get up with a screaming kid.

so, really, i think parenting, in general, is very hard, but i think being a SAHM is harder b/c i would go insane if i never got to have a moment to myself. i NEED to work outside of the house or else i'd lose my mind...seriously. so, i give major props to the moms that can do it b/c after about 1 week of it i'd be ready to run screaming from the house.

as far as HARDER....well, i think it's all hard. as a working mom i have a lot more juggling to do. i have to schedule everything around my 1 hour lunch break and heave forbid if i have to leave work for a sick child. however, like i said...i like being away from home and my family for a period of time each day....i keep my sanity this way.

NOW, if i could be a SAHM and still get some "Me" time, then that would be "the life"!!! i'd have everything under control then:)

Answer 9

LOL Actually I feel that it's the equivalent of about 4 full time jobs (childcare, cleaner, chef, secretary) and 3 part time jobs (dog walker, driver, CFO). Our kids aren't in school all day long (2 hour lunch break) and I am always "on duty".

As a SAHM, I do ALL of those jobs. My husband makes the money and does the occasional chore but there is no job sharing in this house. That is our agreement and it works for us.

It would be horrendous if I had to do all of this plus work a full time job BUT under those circumstances my DH would be doing more than his share of the work in this house. Too often, women are still expected to take care of everything associated with home & kids in addition to working full time.

Answer 10

I agree.

I had it so much easier when I was a SAHM. I would take care of the kids, clean the house and cook dinner for an unappreciative husband, until he left.

Now I am a single mom. I have all the duties of a SAHM plus working.