Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To quit work and be SAHM

214 replies

Blueyrocks · 01/10/2025 09:30

I work part time. DH works full time and earns more than twice what I do. He also has much better career progression opportunities than my job would have I think.

We have 3 kids, one still in nursery, no funded hours, 3 days/ week. Combined with wrap around care for the older two, this means that me working brings in about £300/ month, sometimes less if we've hit the tax-free limit for childcare.

I like my job. My colleagues are lovely and the work is mostly low stress and not dangerous or difficult, just a nice office job. And my baby will get funded hours in August, and then my work will contribute more like £1300 or even more per month to what we have as a family. We have a mortgage but no.other debts.

But life is very, very busy. There's no leeway. Eg if someone gets sick then whole system breaks down. We have no family support and I have PTSD, which can randomly flare up and throw everything off balance. My kids seem happy in school/ nursery/ after school clubs, but often are a bit hyper on their club days, and dinner can sometimes be pretty rubbish on those days - fish fingers, or instant noodles. Not always,but more often than I'd like. And the house is messy, and rarely as clean as I'd like.

DH doesn't mind whether I work or not. He says life would be easier if I didn't, and he'd be happier as less stress. But that it's up to me to decide if I'd be happier and he'll support whatever I decide.

Would i just feel like my whole life was drudgery and miss the office job, and wish for the money I'll be earning in less than a year - holidays, and decorating the house nicer, wouldn't be as easy with just one salary. Or would all of that matter less than the relief of DH earning the money and me taking care of the house, cooking, cleaning, shopping, school run, sick days etc.

Any advice please??

YABU - stay in your job
YANBU - quit

OP posts:
Blueyrocks · 04/10/2025 12:23

@Blueskies3 I don't know if you've read the whole thread? Just because I've said a few times I haven't made my decision, if anything though I'm more likely to stay in work than not. And I am really sorry if I came across as implying that SAHM are better mums. I truly do not believe this. All the women in my own family were working mums, and many of them were exactly the sort of mum I wish I could be. I'm just wondering if I might be a better mum if I SAH... Because I have quite limited capacity,as a result of PTSD I think. I'm so sorry if it came across as me criticising working mums.

OP posts:
Blueyrocks · 04/10/2025 12:27

EmeraldShamrock000 · 04/10/2025 12:06

Can you apply for sickness benefit for one year or ask your job if you can take a year out.
You are burning the candle at both ends.

I don't know but I will look into this. I feel burnt out and hyper vigilant all the time.

@Catquest I don't think I'm using my kids to solve my problems... I just want, more than I can put in words, to give them a better childhood than I had. And I'm not sure whether working/not working is the best way to do that.

OP posts:
Catquest · 04/10/2025 12:33

Blueyrocks · 04/10/2025 12:27

I don't know but I will look into this. I feel burnt out and hyper vigilant all the time.

@Catquest I don't think I'm using my kids to solve my problems... I just want, more than I can put in words, to give them a better childhood than I had. And I'm not sure whether working/not working is the best way to do that.

@Blueyrocks
I absolutely get that and it's part of healing but with the symptoms you describe , you need therapy.

I have seen many cases though where women with C-PTSD throw everything into their children as a way of dealing with their trauma but it doesn't work, particularly in the long term

I dont want to say too much but it can be a form of perpetuating generational trauma not healing it.

Blueyrocks · 04/10/2025 12:38

@Catquest thank you so much for replying. I know you said you didn't want to say too much but I'd be so grateful if you could share a bit more about the perpetuation of trauma... This really terrified me. There is addiction, violence , trauma etc as many generations back in my family as we know anything about, and I am so scared that my kids will just be another generation traumatized by me.

OP posts:
Catquest · 04/10/2025 12:40

Blueyrocks · 04/10/2025 12:38

@Catquest thank you so much for replying. I know you said you didn't want to say too much but I'd be so grateful if you could share a bit more about the perpetuation of trauma... This really terrified me. There is addiction, violence , trauma etc as many generations back in my family as we know anything about, and I am so scared that my kids will just be another generation traumatized by me.

This would be what you would explore with a trained therapist.

EmeraldShamrock000 · 04/10/2025 12:40

Blueyrocks · 04/10/2025 12:27

I don't know but I will look into this. I feel burnt out and hyper vigilant all the time.

@Catquest I don't think I'm using my kids to solve my problems... I just want, more than I can put in words, to give them a better childhood than I had. And I'm not sure whether working/not working is the best way to do that.

I think many of us spend out time chasing our tail, nothing gets 💯 just constantly covering the corners.
You would be mad to continue with this whilst your MH is suffering too.
My lockdown hit it opened my eyes to the issues with family. I was working evenings and weekends, DH working weekdays.
My mh was shattered, the children were all over the place.

Blueyrocks · 04/10/2025 12:40

Oh to be clear I'm not violent or an addict!!!

OP posts:
Blueyrocks · 04/10/2025 12:48

@Catquest ah ok. I have a therapy appointment next week. Thank you so much for your advice.

OP posts:
Seamoss · 04/10/2025 12:48

HygerTyger · 04/10/2025 10:39

Surely you know the link between eating well and improved mental health? I would try to strike a balance here by eating better as well as exercising. some of the time spent exercising could be put towards meal planning so everyone eats well.

Telling a person who is suffering with flashbacks from PTSD as a result of childhood trauma, that eating better will improve their symptoms is a bit rich isn't it? We're not talking about mild anxiety or depression here.

Seems like you're giving a person an additional stick to beat themselves up with.

OP, I'm glad you're looking into the psychotherapy. I hope one day you can say "I had PTSD" or, if it does remain a part of you, at least that it no longer impacts your day to day life.

Hubblebubble · 04/10/2025 13:11

@Blueyrocks Heya, fellow mum with cptsd here. Would your own parents have even spent one moment worrying about the quality of their parenting? I highly doubt it! You are self aware, engaging with medical professionals, and considering the options that best suit you and your family. Doesn't sound like perpetuating generational trauma to me!

Blueskies3 · 04/10/2025 13:39

No you are definitely not the one making out SAH mothers are better mothers, but there have been posters on here that have.

i need mental health support to aid with living, I also needed to step down career wise. I am working part time. I would invest in working on your mental health. If I was a stay at home parent responsible for everything and everyone in this house my mental health would suffer. Sometimes I quite like staring at my husband when we both get home and yea isn’t sorted, we have to work as a team to sort that. Yes it’s messy, a little disorganised and we have to sometimes eat rubbish food. But that is me.

I think the wheels can fall off as a mother regardless of being a SAH parent or a working outside the home one. Parenting is messy.

put your own mental health first and you know what would help the best.

you’re already doing an amazing job it’s being a mother and healing generational trauma

HygerTyger · 04/10/2025 14:04

Seamoss · 04/10/2025 12:48

Telling a person who is suffering with flashbacks from PTSD as a result of childhood trauma, that eating better will improve their symptoms is a bit rich isn't it? We're not talking about mild anxiety or depression here.

Seems like you're giving a person an additional stick to beat themselves up with.

OP, I'm glad you're looking into the psychotherapy. I hope one day you can say "I had PTSD" or, if it does remain a part of you, at least that it no longer impacts your day to day life.

Edited

As someone who has PTSD myself, this is advice I follow myself.

Eating better is the first step to looking after my own mental health. Op clearly is invested in looking after herself hence the time spent exercising. I was advising her that the healthy eating and healthy feeding of children has also got to be a priority. Op was the one who brought up that she had fed her children packet noodles this past week. I was responding to that.

Gremlins101 · 04/10/2025 17:19

Blueyrocks · 01/10/2025 13:21

Sorry @Gremlins101 but what is PRSI?

Sorry, I typed this without thinking. Im am in ireland and PRSI is the same as national insurance I believe

EmeraldShamrock000 · 04/10/2025 17:50

Gremlins101 · 04/10/2025 17:19

Sorry, I typed this without thinking. Im am in ireland and PRSI is the same as national insurance I believe

I was thinking on the same line, OP could make a claim based on her insurance contributions as non means tested.
Not sure if it is an option in the UK.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread