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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to feel sorry for Amanda Holden re her article about Mumsnet

484 replies

GrowSomeCress · 06/04/2013 22:36

www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2305111/Why-I-hate-negative-judgmental-Mumsnet--Amanda-Holden-Britains-Got-Talent-star-accuses-site-fuelling-mothers-guilt.html

Seems to be newly posted.

I think sometimes it's forgotten that famous people are actually real people with genuine feelings.

Don't agree with her about mumsnet just being negative and judgemental all the time though, really excellent support available on here.

OP posts:
scottishmummy · 15/04/2013 00:03

Applaud your ability to include farming out kids,biblical refs,and general ire

Bessie123 · 15/04/2013 00:04

Thanks

scottishmummy · 15/04/2013 00:07

Add biblical Ire to your housewife repertoire,keep you busy when kids at school

Arisbottle · 15/04/2013 00:10

I just do not understand why you have to attack the choices of others if you are secure in your decision . Especially when for many women it is not a choice but an act if financial necessity.

I did become a SAHM because I was tired of working , in fact I suspect some of my children were conceived for that very reason Wink. In addition my children liked having me there but being a SAHM is not a necessary ingredient for a happy childhood. I have four children and a stepson . My stepson had a SAHM far longer than any of my biological children - that was why I was back at work within weeks of giving birth - yes my stepson is happy but so are all of our other children.

As a SAHM I did spend my days menu planning , horse riding , reading,going for coffee, sewing, etc. It was utter bliss and I recognise that I was incredibly fortunate and would not attack others who could not have what I did.

FWIW we are TTC now and I plan on taking a few years out again .

Bessie123 · 15/04/2013 00:21

scottishmummy it's a reference, not a statement of a belief system. It's called using an education. If you are unable to see the difference between alluding to a bible reference and biblical ire, maybe you should be the housewife, you can't be up to much else.

arisbottle you will see from the thread that the responses were actually to posters claiming there was nothing worthwhile in being a sahm. Although I do think it is Hmm for women to go back to work full time when their baby is 2 weeks old, unless they need to for financial reasons. I mean, wouldn't you want to spend time with your kid?

I don't have time to sew etc, not all my kids are at school and we are busy a lot of the time. And I will have to go back to work in the not too distant future to pay mortgage etc

WallyBantersYoniBox · 15/04/2013 00:33

I'm what you would call a high earner with a successful career. I love my job, but I love DS more, and he would come first every time. If I couldn't cope at what I did, and DS suffered I would give it up in a heartbeat. That's the commitment I made when I had my DS and it wasn't one I took lightly.

I had 5 months at home and bloody loved it. It hasn't made a squat of difference to my career level now.

After working for 17 years with horrendous hours I was totally looking forward to a few months off, tea, custard creams and Cash in the Attic, whilst cuddling DS.

He has gone through many changes of routine, having travelled extensively with my career and my DH's military career. It has made him flexible and adaptive to new situations where I have seen friends children fall to pieces when they are out of their routine for a late evening at a friends house.

I fail to see how a post two week routine would have made any difference.

Arisbottle · 15/04/2013 00:37

Bessie I hope that when you go back to work our of financial necessity someone in a more fortunate financial position than you does not accuse you of loving your house more than your child and tell you that you are giving your child second best and not making them a priority.

Bessie123 · 15/04/2013 00:42

There are a number of reasons why I will need to go back to work, including my dh being seriously ill and probably having to stop working soon. So I doubt anyone will accuse me of anything.

Arisbottle · 15/04/2013 00:52

As I said I certainly hope that people do not describe your decision to become a working mother in the same negative tone that you have used.

Bessie123 · 15/04/2013 00:53

They can do what they like, I know what I think

Bessie123 · 15/04/2013 00:54

And I might agree with them in general terms

Arisbottle · 15/04/2013 00:55

Anyway I must go, have to be up in four hours so I can farm my children our do I can buy some new shoes and pay for a spa weekend

scottishmummy · 15/04/2013 07:02

Bessie you're somewhat vexatious,and the biblical reference was sheer hyperbole
Your farm kids out quip is of course mn classic
Im happy to farm the kids out to mrs hannigans daycare ,i pay good money for it too

Xenia · 15/04/2013 09:51

The husbands of the born again houseswives on the thread seem happy enough to farm out dross dull domestic stuff to wives. All very sexist this toleration of women not being with chlidren 24/7 and requirement women are. It bet is suits the male agenda pretty well with the added bonus of ensuring women depend on men for money and never gain positions of power.

Xenia · 15/04/2013 09:55

The ones who only look after children and leave the housework and cleaning and tidying to husbands in evenings and weekends are in a sense the worse ones. If you are going to be a stay at home mother at least do the job properly and do the housework etc too. If you cannot even manage that are you really doing the full job. It would be a strange stay at home mother who didn't do the cleaning, shopping, washing and cooking surely.

exoticfruits · 15/04/2013 10:13

I can't see why other people have to worry about those who do it differently. Why I should go to work, and be depressed about it while DH gets to be at home and have the life I want- to suit other women's view of what I should - beats me. I could have worked full time- we discussed it first. We were both honest, he would hate not to work outside the house and I loved it. It was a short time in the general scheme of things- I then got back to the career. Other people who had time off for DCs got to be Heads- I would hate to be a Head teacher- had I been ambitious I could probably still have got there. Some people don't even start teaching until late in life.

exoticfruits · 15/04/2013 10:18

And when I was a widow and SAHM I did all the housework in the evening- it suited me at the time when it was just me and a baby in the house. It is all personal choice.

MrsDeVere · 15/04/2013 10:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WallyBantersYoniBox · 15/04/2013 15:09

MrsD you still have an important job and you sound like the pivotal person in your family, amd more importantly you sound surrounded by love.

I could only have one son and as we moved so much we couldn't ever get it together to adopt. I am hoping to stay in good health, learn the local language and foster children if that is possible in the future.

Unfortunately for me I have been very much alone for a lot of my life and had to pay my own way out of some pretty nasty experiences. So I am still a slave to the bills for the near future. I have no support network and often feel a pang when I see a big family on holiday, or out celebrating.

It must be wonderful to have that.

MrsDeVere · 15/04/2013 15:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

EchoBitch · 15/04/2013 15:43

Hear,hear MrsDeVere Grin

But seriously,yes,i couldn't agree more.

And i hope whatever your problems are they don't last long.

BigBoobiedBertha · 15/04/2013 16:03

Can we agree to drop the term housewife?

It is such a silly term, dredged up from ancient history by those who are trying to points score and who actually have no idea what they are talking about. The use of it by the WOHM is so PA. If that is the best you can do to criticise other women's reasonable and considered choices it is a bit lame and you are making yourselves seem a little pathetic tbh.

I bet I do less housework than almost everybody on this thread. It bores me. There are plenty of other things more worthwhile to be doing. DH does some, I do a bit more probably because I make more mess because I am home more (I work PT btw). Being able to look after your own personal space is the mark of being a grown up so I am not letting DH off the hook completely just because he works full time. I don't actually think he'd want me to.

Xenia · 15/04/2013 16:08

MrsDeVere, I specialise in solutions, not problems. So perhaps we can help.
"Unfortunately this delicate balance is due to be royally fucked up soon and I have no idea what I am going to do about it." That implies you are may be about to be made redundant? Set backs can sometimes be turned round into advantages.

"Should have worked harder, been born into a different family, not lost a child, not adopted a disabled child, not married a man who became disabled, should have become that rock star and by now I would have diversified into Llama farming or something...."
A lot of those things are not in your control although hard work is. Most teenagers and young people do not work too hard and they don't do very well which is why most parents hope their children will work hard at school and beyond. We cannot help our families. You presumably thought adopting a disabled child was a good idea rather than IVF or one from abroad so remember the good reasons that the disabled child was the right decision for you.

What else - man becoming disabled. Well you have a men,. Plenty of single full time working mothers don't or are paying to support one they used to have. Short of doing a health check before marriage that is a haard one to avoid. I suppose most of us do due diligence - has he always had chronic schizophrenia or depression so hardly ever works, is he 30 stone, can he instead run marathons with me are his family all well. However even with those checks still any of us could be disabled tomorrow, but it certainly cannot be easy.

I know people with Llamas. They are lovely cute animals but not much of a cash cow. Some women in later life manage to make it as a singer although it's rare - Susan Boyle etc. I sing every week if not every day and put probably about 10,000 hours of practice into it as a teenager so I am fairly good although I've never sought to make a living from it. If you are good start putting some stuff up on youtube of you singing, look at how the younger people generate an audience these days without financial backing if that's what you would really like to do.

ParsingFancy · 15/04/2013 16:16

GrinGrinGrin Xenia you have surpassed yourself.

And I love that you describe your outpourings as "solutions". Especially the bits requiring a time machine.

MrsDeVere · 15/04/2013 16:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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