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Is this a ‘Soft life’

772 replies

Wellthatwasabrupt · 29/07/2026 19:25

And would you want it?

Has Dh, one young Dc and dogs, lives overseas by the beach and countryside, nice house with pool and sea views.
Works 6 hours per week from home. Does all drop offs and pick ups, food shop, dinners, majority to do with Dc and sorting bills. Has a cleaner.
Dh works Mon-Fri -finishes 4.30, no one works weekends.
Days are free based around Dc school drops, coffee with friends, Pilates, yoga, studying or reading if you like, watching Netflix all day if you like, shopping, beach, pool, garden

Would you call this a soft life? Would you like it, be honest?

OP posts:
vincettenoir · 03/08/2026 15:49

GrandmasCat · 02/08/2026 20:47

Nah, with that level of money, it is all about getting out of the house and the boredom, having adult conversations and a bit of respite from the kids.

It’s also about keeping up/ developing skills I think. Then that keeps options open in the future. Much more so than having a long break from work.

GrandmasCat · 02/08/2026 20:47

realitychick67 · 01/08/2026 10:31

What a bizarre question! To get 6 hours' worth of pay, maybe?? 🤔

Nah, with that level of money, it is all about getting out of the house and the boredom, having adult conversations and a bit of respite from the kids.

NDFB · 02/08/2026 18:49

Your life sounds a bit boring, but most of all; unfulfilling. What are you achieving? Where's the struggle? the achievement? Sounds like sleepwalking to the grave. You aren't even giving anything back. Where's your volunteering activities? LOL. I imagine you must be feeling rather empty. So you need to actually do something with your life.

BluesBird19764 · 02/08/2026 18:21

Yes, of course it’s a soft life but you know that already.

OMGafourth · 02/08/2026 18:21

Add in a couple of stables and it sounds like the perfect life. Especially the increased opportunity to read/study.

kattyjean · 02/08/2026 11:49

What is this obsession with giving completely inane things twee expressions, I assume it’s the world of social media.

Pherian · 02/08/2026 11:44

Wellthatwasabrupt · 29/07/2026 19:25

And would you want it?

Has Dh, one young Dc and dogs, lives overseas by the beach and countryside, nice house with pool and sea views.
Works 6 hours per week from home. Does all drop offs and pick ups, food shop, dinners, majority to do with Dc and sorting bills. Has a cleaner.
Dh works Mon-Fri -finishes 4.30, no one works weekends.
Days are free based around Dc school drops, coffee with friends, Pilates, yoga, studying or reading if you like, watching Netflix all day if you like, shopping, beach, pool, garden

Would you call this a soft life? Would you like it, be honest?

Whether I enjoyed it or not would depend on how the relationship with DH would be. If I felt I had to worry about anything I wouldn’t do it. I am too independent to give over my financial freedom and autonomy over to someone who would potentially make me regret that.

HwalkingL · 02/08/2026 11:04

@Wellthatwasabrupt has posted dozens of times and I haven’t read them all…. Has she confirmed whether she is this person or someone she knows (very well it would seem!)?

whippersnapper55 · 02/08/2026 09:39

It sounds like a very nice life and there's nothing wrong with that!

EmpressaurusKitty · 02/08/2026 07:26

Anonymousanonymouslytoday · 02/08/2026 00:30

The op is a woman, she's a frequent poster on aibu. The posting style is familiar and her somewhat old fashioned beliefs.

Why the op is being so cryptic here, who knows? 🤷‍♀️

Thanks @Anonymousanonymouslytoday.

Anonymousanonymouslytoday · 02/08/2026 00:30

Kingdomofsleep · 01/08/2026 23:43

"ourselves" Defo the husband.

Ah good spot @blueshoes ! I think that is pretty conclusive.

Now that that's established op, tell us how your wife actually feels about all this (not just how you think she ought to feel, which you've made very clear by now)?

Is she wanting to move back to the UK? Or get a full time job?

The op is a woman, she's a frequent poster on aibu. The posting style is familiar and her somewhat old fashioned beliefs.

Why the op is being so cryptic here, who knows? 🤷‍♀️

Imanexcellentdrivercharliebabbit · 02/08/2026 00:05

‘Soft life’ aspiration and promotion is something that’s wild on tik tok and The Gram’ currently -largely aimed at young female teens.

I’ve been an Adolescents Social Worker for best part of 20 years and prior to that was a secondary ed teacher.

Early 2000’s I used to work with lots of girls who aspired to be footballers WAGS or go on pop idol/ Xfactor; then came Only Fans which many saw as a ‘ ticket out’ route from a worryingly young age , and more recently ‘soft life’ which essentially (as they see it) be as attractive/hot/sexually available as you can to enter into a relationship with a high earning man to live a ‘ princess life’. This essentially means not working and being ‘spoilt’ because you are worth it etc

My ‘patch’ is Cambridge and then the deprived surrounding East Anglian communities

Its a prolific aspiration for a lot of young women across the social stratas

Kingdomofsleep · 01/08/2026 23:43

"ourselves" Defo the husband.

Ah good spot @blueshoes ! I think that is pretty conclusive.

Now that that's established op, tell us how your wife actually feels about all this (not just how you think she ought to feel, which you've made very clear by now)?

Is she wanting to move back to the UK? Or get a full time job?

Wellthatwasabrupt · 01/08/2026 23:40

blueshoes · 01/08/2026 23:09

This reply says a lot about you, whoever you are and your motive.

You’re reading a bit too much into this, relax 😂

OP posts:
blueshoes · 01/08/2026 23:09

Wellthatwasabrupt · 01/08/2026 23:05

Interesting all these patronising and bitchy put downs, says a lot.

This reply says a lot about you, whoever you are and your motive.

blueshoes · 01/08/2026 23:08

Wellthatwasabrupt · 01/08/2026 16:56

Financing it ourselves!

"ourselves"

Defo the husband.

Explains the outdated views of women and motherhood and incredulou indignation that us wimmin are not swallowing unscientific arguments such as "Everyone with half a brain knows it’s better", "there is no denying that," , "You cannot argue biology and nature", "we cannot deny that the very best during those formative years is for the child to be with the mother. There is simply no point in arguing this anymore. ", and "It’s basic biology and common sense".

"Newsflash-many many women want to be a mother and want to be at home with their child, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, it is a good and valuable thing to society to be a mother, it is not nothing, in fact its the most important thing."

Nothing like a man telling a woman what she likes, what she feels and what is important.

It is nice to be reduced to being a womb, boobs and a bunch of hormones whose divine purpose is to 'raise' their children singlehandedly whilst part of a 'village'.

Wellthatwasabrupt · 01/08/2026 23:05

Interesting all these patronising and bitchy put downs, says a lot.

OP posts:
blueshoes · 01/08/2026 22:50

ObelixtheGaul · 31/07/2026 19:18

She might not need intellectual stimulation. I don't. I'm not clever. Most of my working life has been spent doing mindless, repetitive things.
We don't all need intellectual stimulation because we aren't all bright sparks.

If you are more intelligent and have a smart career, I can totally see why this life would be unfulfilling. I have friends like that. I admire their abilities, but don't envy their need to be stimulated all the time.

I suspect OP falls into this category, since she (or he) is happy to live a soft life that will drive others up the wall with boredom.

Not convincing some posters on this thread that she/he is living a charmed life, OP is now trying to invent a purpose of life by being mother/madonna and these working women are harming their child. The WOHM/SAHM debate has been done to death. Unfortunately OP is not following many of the arguments.

Hope OP finds some purpose and meaning to her soft life that transcends her single child growing up.

UnintentionalArcher · 01/08/2026 22:40

FlyingToniBoxes · 01/08/2026 22:09

Doing a part time masters whilst only working six hours per week and having one child who is at school all day isn't striving.

Many people work full time and raise children whilst doing a masters part time.

It doesn't sound as though this woman is studying full time (if she were, the masters would typically be done in a year).

I recently did a master’s degree over two years and another master’s level qualification at the same time, while working full time and having fertility treatment. On reflection, this was a little too much at time (especially as my job was long hours with a fair commute), but I’d agree that a part time master’s plus six hours of work and a child of school age is somewhere at the other end of the spectrum.

UnintentionalArcher · 01/08/2026 22:29

Wellthatwasabrupt · 01/08/2026 16:00

That is fantastic, good for you, honestly but you are no better than others

They haven’t suggested at all that they are better than anyone else. You quite aggressively pushed them into revealing whether or not they volunteered so they shared that they did and then you implied that this was somehow boasting.

I suggest, as your OP isn’t a genuine question or invitation to discussion but a soapbox, that you step away from the thread.

thereisnomeaning · 01/08/2026 22:21

I'm not going to care one way or other how people live their lives. If they are funding it, they are happy, it's up to them.

Based on my own life experiences though, they'd be wise not to take it for granted. The reality I've seen in too many people's happy lives is that their life can change in a moment by death or severe illness or some other life event out of their control - in the parents of children, sometimes more than one at once, sometimes as a consequence of one major and sudden event. Life can then become very difficult indeed.

FlyingToniBoxes · 01/08/2026 22:09

dreamingofgoodhair · 01/08/2026 22:02

But you are striving. You can’t get a Masters without striving.

Doing a part time masters whilst only working six hours per week and having one child who is at school all day isn't striving.

Many people work full time and raise children whilst doing a masters part time.

It doesn't sound as though this woman is studying full time (if she were, the masters would typically be done in a year).

dreamingofgoodhair · 01/08/2026 22:02

Wellthatwasabrupt · 01/08/2026 15:56

It can be for personal development, to stretch one’s mind, because it’s interesting/fun and/or to be used in future employment if wanted

But you are striving. You can’t get a Masters without striving.

EmpressaurusKitty · 01/08/2026 19:55

DaysIllRememberAllMyLife · 01/08/2026 19:46

Yes he's definitely angry that some people are disagreeing with him.

I hope she manages to get away.

DaysIllRememberAllMyLife · 01/08/2026 19:46

EmpressaurusKitty · 01/08/2026 19:21

My theory is that he’s pushed her into this life & is angry that she doesn’t appreciate it.

Yes he's definitely angry that some people are disagreeing with him.