Everyone is so busy and I read a lot on here about people trying to balance work and life and everything else. Specifically, when it comes to work and parenting, there seems to be a majority voice on MN that maintaining a career is vital for all sorts of reasons beyond the obvious immediate financial benefit. It’s often recommended to outsource as much as possible, including childcare.
I totally understand these views. I know that work is usually necessary and often important. I work full time and have young children.
But… I just can’t help thinking that some of the narrative is kind of stuff we tell ourselves to make ourselves feel better? Lots of what is referred to as “drudgery” is sort of their childhood? Those chats on the school run and an unhurried evening in the garden? Watching TV after school or fighting with a sibling.
The children I know seem to do loads and loads of clubs and activities and scheduled things. But very limited just not-doing-much time with family, compared to what I remember from when I was younger.
I don’t know. I’m not articulating it well. Maybe I’m being romantic and eaten by guilt. But I can’t help feeling that, if work wasn’t necessary, what would genuinely benefit my kids is just having a parent at home more, just to do the mundane stuff of day to day life together.
Am I being unreasonable? Probably.