Anyone else work full time here? I am struggling...........

[happynewme]

My job is so pressured and I am taking the stress home.. i would love to jack it in but the only alternative would be live on benefits right now. boo f*ing hoo. oops sorry.
Its so hard.... sigh

It is really hard to work f/t esp if you have DCs. What do you mean by bringing the stress home, are you taking it out on DP/DCs?

i know whaat you mean. i try ansd get by during the week and then make sure we have a really nice time at the weekend and i do not think about work. Also (this is a bit sad) I keep a scrap book of what we did at the weekend so when i feel crap in the week i can remind myself that i have done nice things.

Er no i don't take it out on DS! I bring work pressures home and work at home/worry about them etc.
BBBee - thats a fab idea - we have a great weekend planned this weekend so i am going to do that

I don't mean it like it sounds! I meant do you feel like you're more short tempered with family because of it, cause that's often how I feel.

scrapbook is a lovely idea though.

I have just started working ft and it has been a real shock to the system, partly just from being back at work full time (I have to try really hard not to yawn all the time) but also being away from dd. The way I try and think about it is that I'm doing it to make myself financially stable so I can offer DD a better lifestyle and I focus on the time we have together to do nice things. We spend half an hour every evening doing whatever she wants to do (usually reading books) and at weekends I try and go out and about as much as possible. I think we actually appreciate each other much more now that the time we spend together is 'quality time'. I am lucky in that I don't have to bring my work home with me though, I really sympathise with you there.

I have worked full time since DS1 was five months and took 6 months maternity leave with DS2.

Yes it is very hard work I agree and I struggle. It was a struggle when I was married and a struggle now I am a single parent.

I just try to make the most of my free time.

I also work full time. Add that to the fact that I have to split the weekends with her father, and you can see that 'quality time' isn't always possible for us. I feel constantly guitly about it, but also need the break, which is rather like a contradiction of terms, I know.

My DD is only 1.4yrs, so i guess she isn't able to yet tell me if she feels she is missing out...it may come. Its difficult too, becuase domestic activities often dominate the evenings, so it means I feel even more guilty.

You are doing your best. Realise that.

happynewme can you drop your hours to part time?, you can get top up from tax credit.

I work FT too, it is very hard and stressful when you are a lone parent, but i have a rule, the minute i get into my car to go home i switch off, work worries stay at work, i mentally make myself think of other things, like whats for tea, whats on telly that i can chill out to once ds is in bed, if work pops into my head i push it back out again, whats the point in worrying about work while im not there, try it, it works for me.

From now on your not allowed to think about work unless you are there, dont bring work home with you, you work to live not the other way round.

I too have just strated a ft job and I miss being able to take dd to school and pick her up and chat about the day instead of coming home knackered and having too little time for dd - having said that Im proud of the fact that im providing for my dd and she is growing up and learning very quickly the value of money and lucky me also now has grandparents to do pick up and drop off so she has gained an extra family (we also moved hundreds of miles away as well as even on a ft wage I couldnt cope where we were so we up sticks and moved up north. Theres lots of free trip out here -= went to the illuninations last night dd LOVED it then to the beach this afternoon - off up to lakes tomorrow so Im making sure the time we have together really counts. I agree about thinking about work DONT you can rest assured they wont be t hinking of you so why waste your energy on them - we are after all a payroll number.....