i don't know why stay at home mums are being criticized so much, i think motherhood in general is looked down upon, "oh you're a mum" like that's all?
At the end of the day most women who go out to work still have to come home in the evening do most of the domestics and put the children to bed. Men help and some men are superdads, but the reality is men and society still think domestic jobs and raising kids is a woman's job. So i think those women who go out to work when their kids are infants give themselves double the trouble. If it's possible financially to raise the baby until school age surely it's easier on the woman?
Anyways its true with just 1 baby it's not as hard, but it's not easy either. It can be tough getting to grips with a new one, but you will have a few spare hours in between the baby napping, but as a new mother i'm sure you will need that as nap time, you'll be exhausted recovering. But if you get your baby to bed promptly in the evening you will get more hours to chill in the evening than your partner. But in the day it's not true that you will be lounging. I mean theres always so much to do, i never have time to watch anything while the kids are awake, forget the internet, i dont have a tv never get use out of it.
Once you have more than 1 child its manic manic all the time, don't believe for a second that good mothers are lounging about watching trashy shows on tv.
When i had a regular boxed terraced house i was able to clean it up and down in 2 hrs. But now the house we're renting is huge i can't clean it in one day, so that needs doing in increments.
anyways heres my chores
clean wash feed kids throughout the day.
homecooking 2hrs
clean 1 floor of the house
do some laundry
iron every other day to avoid a pile
help son do his homework, yes p1 kids get homework and they get 2 wks to finish the assignments set, i think its a bit much lol
make sure mil is always fed on time, got her pills jabs and not getting up to anything dangerous, she has dementia become very childlike.
I don't get play time with my youngest one its rare, i used to with the first two. But fortunately my mil can play with her bless her!
i don't relax until i have tucked the kids in bed which is usually 7pm prompt, then i have to make sure my mil is fed and gets her meds, then finally have permission to relax. At this point i am expected to talk to people on the phone, im not much of a good friend since having the children, im so tired in the evening i just want to eat, watch 1 programme on the internet and go bed. But i'm lucky they're very understanding despite the lack of contact.
As for work being brainfood, erm depends what sort of work you do, a lot of these jobs are monotonous as house work, unless of course staff banter accounts for brainfood, even goldfish wouldn;t want that and they are very dim creatures. I used to detest the gossip culture at work, and work was monotonous it depends what sort of job you have. I guess if i was a high flying lawyer, surgeon, overseas correspondent that would be brainfood but most jobs are just dull as death. You can get brain food from the company you keep, the books you read, programmes you watch, theaters, museums, the last place i would expect to acquire brain food from is work. I don;t know about you but i would go work for the money, and to keep idle hands busy not for the acquisition of knowledge.
But dont be disheartened by my account it has its rewards. Good luck with the first baby and making new lasting memories that your child will forever thank you for.