What’s up with the ‘out and about’ brigade?

[Nayouknow]

You know the ones. ‘I like to be out and about’ brigade. The ‘I’d be climbing the walls if I didn’t leave the house every day’ crew. The people who view time spent in their homes to be ‘wasted’ and time spent outside it to somehow automatically be more rewarding/interesting/energising/virtuous/insert positive.

I’ve only really come across this sort of mentality on MN and I find it fascinating. What’s their deal? Do they not like their homes? Do they have no indoor pursuits that they enjoy enough to be occupied for one day? Is it the actual outside air (not to be confused with the air in their gardens, as those of them who have gardens are generally very clear that hanging out in the garden isn’t sufficient)? Are they hardcore extroverts?

Like everyone else I know, I like to go out and I like to stay in. Walks are nice. Activities are nice. Spending a weekend at home cooking/reading/watching box sets/playing with DS is also nice. Based on their comments, the aforementioned crew would consider the latter a ‘wasted weekend’.

I’m a half way person. I like to be out during the week a lot. I like being home on the weekends. I do a lot of crafting/making things and like having uninterrupted time to do that.
When I am out I like to be up and out though so I can be home to do the stuff I need to do though.

🤣 Aw. As long as he’s a good egg, leave him to his football in his pants. 🤣

I can stay at home for weeks. All my stuff is here and I like it
Got exercise equipment to use which is where 90% of my exercise gets done. Never get bored

I'm glad I'm not the only person like this 🤣. If we are out I feel like I get more quality time with my girls. If I'm at home I am constantly distracted by some job which needs doing. We are just an outdoorsy family, loads of family friends who we enjoy catching up with.

It's the same with working from home, I don't like it as easily distracted by stuff which needs doing around the house

I think for me it stems from the days of having very active, early rising under fives who were battering the front door down by 9am 😂 I found staying indoors with little ones so dull.

We don't have a big garden.

Now I don't mind being at home, but I prefer it if I'm alone. No-one going 'Muuuuum?' or crashing around.

I like staying in, but it is nice to go out now and again too. I don't have little children anymore so that takes the pressure off a lot to be doing things.

Weekends are my only opportunity to do stuff - weekdays are a combination of work and children’s activities and homework and chores. At home every evening.

So at weekends I like to go out to the park, or go swimming, or get a pub lunch. Still just with my family, but it’s nice to have a change of scenery. I don’t care what other people do, but I get restless stuck in the house all weekend.

Also yes easier to get distracted by constant housework when indoors. And again now DCs are older it is easy to default to screens in the house.

I am everything you have described here.
If I stay in my 3 I am so so annoyed and frustrated. Need to get out.
can’t stand being at home for long. Climbing the walls is correct.
Find being at home so boring and feel like I’ve totally wasted the day and precious life.
I enjoy getting the most out of life every day and to me that doesn’t involve sitting on my backside all day or pottering in our fairly small garden, or constantly doing jobs in the house.
I love seeing something new, feeling the sun on my skin (or rain!) in a large open space, learning something about a new area, seeing the beauty in nature, doing exciting or interesting activities or watching the kids doing something exciting.
I particularly love new places and would never holiday twice in exactly the same place.
I simply can’t understand anyone who stays in a lot when there is so much out there to enjoy. But everyone is different I guess??

I feel cooped up and frustrated if I don't leave the house. I need fresh air. It helps me sleep better too.

I WFH full-time, no option to go into an office because the business is overseas so when the weekend comes I can't wait to get out and about. By Friday I'm fed up looking at the house. 🤷‍♀️

I was once given a copy of the communist manifesto by a random man while out, weird shit like that’s why I like going out, the oddest things happen

Most weekends DH and I pick one day when we will go out for a walk (if the weather is nice), do some shopping and do any other out the house jobs. The other day we stay at home and relax without the effort of getting dressed properly etc. If the weather is crap, we'll be more than happy staying in all weekend but we are definitely homebodies.

My DC has a lot of energy. She gets bored easily and is always asking what we are doing next. It’s so much easier to take her out, she burns energy, the house stays tidier and baby gets out/ fresh air.

If it’s just me (very rare now) I’m happy to spend time at home relaxing / watching tv.

There's no right or wrong about it, we are individuals. I am a widow in my seventies and like my own company, am happy not to go out much. My ex-neighbour likes to go out every day and meet friends for coffees, lunch and chat. Good for her. Everyone is different. I wouldn't go out just for the sake of it, there would have to be a reason.

I am not an extrovert but I live in a very small room (share bathroom and kitchen) I like to go out for some fresh air and not look at my walls all day.

I absolutely love being at home but if I don't leave the house for something other than work everyday then I feel really sluggish and gross, I'm definitely not extroverted though, I'm happy to be alone/just with my kids but it needs to be outside of our house/garden.

Occasionally we stay home for a full day and it feels nice as a one off but I go back to feeling the itch by day 2! I was brought up by out-doorsy parents though so it's not that surprising that we all prefer being outside.

I'm an "out and about" person. Two main reasons:

I work from home three days a week, so I'm home a lot. I'm also rarely out in the evenings (maybe once or twice a month to go for dinner with a friend). So reading, chilling, watching films etc is how I spend lots of my downtime already.

I also find it vastly easier to keep DDs occupied if we're out and about. If we're home they want to be on screens so I like that distraction of being out of the house for a bit.

I am definitely an introvert so it's not that. I just like getting some steps in and some fresh air or exploring a new place or going out for lunch so I don't have to cook 🤣.

The exception is when it's a sunny, warm day. Then I quite like being in the garden all day as DDs can be in the paddling pool or playing and I can sit with a book and a drink in the sun.

You don't have to be one or the other . I'm never bored at home as don't mind my own company but also like going into town , meeting up with friends etc .
I definitely wouldn't call going out means you're an extrovert . I'd need vitamin D if I stayed in all the time !

This is it for me too. Pre DD I often had days at home at the weekend but they’re not relaxing now.

@WearyAuldWumman

Just wanted to say, it's fairly common for women to have been misdiagnosed as having OCD when they have high-functioning autism (formerly Asperger's).

A diagnosis wouldn't change anything for you, but it does make life easier in terms of understanding our emotions and quirks.

I love being at home with no-one else in it. With a 1yo and 4yo and two dogs, I go stir crazy if we don’t spend the majority of the weekend out!

I am naturally an early riser and like the peace and quiet of early morning to be out for a walk or whatever - but I don’t expect anyone else to join me!

I love being at home too but only stay at home all day if I am ill or one of the kids is. I just feel a bit jaded and fusty if I don’t go out. I need the fresh air or I feel weird.

I definitely needed to be out and about with DS1. He really needed a lot of entertaining.

Generally though, there’s so much to do at home- gardening, watching the birds, reading, I’d love to have time to see and do crafts.

I like the home making stuff.

Those of you who like being out, do you try and get everyone else out, too?

It’s perfectly reasonable to get a child that’s getting pale and grumpy into good outdoor habits- socialising, fresh air, etc.
Would you tell a happy healthy adult that they ‘should’ get out more and go places?

As long as you leave people to it, it’s fine that we all flourish under different conditions. Just don’t make everyone else be a sunflower when some of use do better in dappled shade.

Some people are introverts and recharge at home. Some people are extroverts and recharge out and about. It's not complicated.