Does anyone else find motherhood boring?

[boredofthis]

know this is a bit taboo to say but I basically find motherhood really boring. My dd is 3 and a half months old and I do love her but on the whole I find the business of being a mother really tedious. I don't find myself staring at her in awe, I don't think the whole circle of life thing truly amaaazing and before anyone says anything I'm not in the slightest bit depressed. Am I really alone in finding it all extremely tedious with little reward? I'd be really interested to hear from any long term mothers about when they started to find it interesting

For me it was good that nothing too exciting happenend in the first six months. OK I had the relentless tasks of feeding and being on call, but little sleeping babies(yes I was lucky there) are so transportable, they don't ask awkward questions, they don't want all-singing, all-dancing entertaining.

This was good. It gave me a breather between singlehood and my vision of motherhoood. A time to adjust and see what bits of my previous life I could salvage. So when ds1 was three months, he got packed into the Volvo with my stall stuff and we went to portobello market for the day. I found with a friend's help, I could still run my stall. Of course the baby and stall combination became impossible as he got bigger, but it gave me such a mental boost to see I could combine the two - my previous life with my present one. It gave me much needed hope that motherhood would not change me totally.

Aha, Boredofthis, I think you have accidentally come across my strategy for total lack of boredom with the baby stage. I admit to being one of those hideous mothers who were so goey that I'd actively miss my baby while he was sleeping during the day and would pop in to peep at him. But I did nothing for him bar feeding him. Everything else was for me. Baby massage? Nice for him, nicer for me to meet friends. Baby music? Ditto. Walk in the park with baby in the sling? Nice to be with my husband, and there's the prospect of a drink in the pub afterwards. NCT coffee group? Ooh, lovely, biscuits! Friends round to 'admire the baby"? A chance for a relax and gossip with my mates. etc etc etc. And of course, there was always the thrilling, rollercoaster suspense as to whether I'd get more than one consecutive hour of sleep, which certainly wasn't boring. Grim and desperate, yes, but never dull!

Agree totally with Tigermoth and bobthebaby's posts. Go out, have fun and do stuff with your totally portable dd!

Yes - I found babydom extremely tedious...now dd is 18 months old spending time with her can be very rewarding (like when she makes a new 'discovery' for herself), but there are still sometimes hours of tedium. I dread wet wintry days when we can't go out for a walk etc - because the shape sorter and little people sets have limited appeal after about 5 minutes!

I never found it boring, but then I've got lots of home hobbies and spent gladly spend any spare time doing them. I actually regret not making more of of this time as I'm realising that opportunities for pursuing my own interests are rapidly decreasing as ds needs more attention.

DS is now nearly 6 months and I find that he seems to have 'matured' so much in the last few weeks that I honestly am so excited at what he's going to be like in 2, 3 4 months time.

I'll third the suggestion of getting out with yout toteable baby! It's so easy at that stage. But I lurrve the teeny weeny stage, not so keen on potty training stage, the endless readings of 'Billy Goats Gruff' and playing games and messy stuff. School age is interesting and teenagers are fun.

boredofthis - I didn't find it tedious as such when DS was small - more desperate for him to stop crying! (colic, very unsettled newborn)and desperate for something different. TBH though I've never really been into tiny babies.
he's now 2 and I really love it - really enjoy my time with him. It'll definitely get better for you.

I was glad to go back to work 6 months after my 2 were born. Now they're 2 and 4 and I'm at home f/t.
Ds1 is at school and ds2 goes to nursery 3 days a week and so I have some time to do other things (housework and 'me' stuff). I now really enjoy my time with both of them because it's not 24/7.
Work saved my sanity when they were young - especially as my husband was working abroad for a year of that time.

I found my DSs quite boring until they were about 6-7 months old when they could sit alone and play with the toys etc. with you. It gets better the older they get and the more independent they get, their own ideas, games, imagination etc. DS1 is 9yo DS2 is 3yo and DS3 is 1yo. It will get better boredofthis. I also found mother and toddler groups useful. Adult company.

Yes, I was bored silly. I did find that I got excited about every little thing though "she's rolling", which was just because it was an indication that she was becoming a person. DH freely admits that he can't stand babies as he finds them DULL, on one occasion telling a new mum that he didn't really see there was much difference between killing off a newborn and abortion.

DD is nearly 3 and since she turned 12m it has just got better and better. She's really good company now, and generally just great to have around.

I was so bored I thought I had PND! I even posted on Mumsnet that I thought I was a freak because I was looking forward to going back to work. Then when DS was 6 months old I really started enjoying it, and actually delayed going back to work!

He keeps getting better and better as he gets older - as everyone says here, the more indpendent they get the easier they get. I do still need to meet up with grown ups every day though!

Don't think I find motherhood boring. Perhaps because my child never keeps flipping still. I have had 7 1/2 months of it. She gives anyone a work out.

Daddy complains about it but still thinks he wouldn't want a child that just lied there or plopped wherever you put them.

In the beginning I would say I never had time to do anything, but you just get used to it and just become more conscientious and capable fo juggling three or four things at once. You become an octopus and every body part gets kicked into gear.

Even when she should be sleeping through the night, the HV would say that she should and I said she doesn't. Getting up at night isn't a chore, it is more automatic, I hear when she stirs but not when she chunners and keeps daddy awake. You could say I had selective hearing.

Now she is even more active but I can leave her to entertain herself and I get on with whatever I want. It gets better and better. I actually can't think of putting her in daycare and going out to a job. I prefer to work from home. So I would say motherhood isn't boring. I like being on my own turf where I can do whatever I want.

Boredofthis.....if you find motherhood boring? What does your partner or husband think?

I think it tried my husband's patience at times but he thinks fatherhood is good. When he comes home I will ask. I do know before people weren;t too friendly, probably that is the attitude where we live. But any place we go, and if he has her. People come up and speak to him and check out baby as if it is the first baby they have seen. She has always had strangers come up to take a peek at her and they say was a cute or pretty baby, usually commenting on her eyes if they are open.

It is like she has her own fan club of strangers from the day she left the hospital. Weird but I guess it will make her not be a shy baby. We think she actually plays to people now. She puts on her public appearance attitude whe she goes out and changes into I am a little bugger when she comes home.

Yep, boring but fulfilling in diff ways. Have decided to counteract the boredom by re-discovering madder side of personality....I now put on loud music and make kids dance around and sing wildly. Also get out as much as poss, works some of the time.

Boredofthis, you should try and do as much lunch,coffee, visiting,etc.. as you can, this is the best age. It gets more stressful once they become mobile, or grumpy toddlers !!!

Sometimes, E is so calm, she will just lie there for ages and not fuss, and i don't really know what to do with myself. Its great when she smiles and i adore her, but at times i do find myself counting the minutes until she needs the bottle.

Boredofthis think of it this way- babies are'nt supposed to be interesting, are they? or rewarding for that matter. dont rely on the baby for entertainment IYSWIM, Read, watch videos, go and visit family and friends at home and abroad, treat yourself, put your ohoto albums in order, take up yoga, i wrote my thesis on maternity leave for the mental stimulation
enjoy your time off

You wrote your thesis! God I admire you, I couldn't write a postcard whilst I was on maternity leave - no brain cells.....

best thing i did was book ds1 into nursery at 4 months for 2 days a week. it was really weird at first but it made our time together fab. i worked most days but also had some time to myself which cheered me up no end. also, i arrange something everyday to see people, go to a group etc so i have something to do. i think the kids get bored too, so you might as well fill up the time and keep you both entertained.

motherhood boring-you are joking

monotonous is the word I would use

To be honest i didn't find it boring but that's because I was never in on my own for long enough to get bored.
I was out and about all the time - it was so much easier than staying in! Or I had mates over. Then I went back to work after 3.5 months so.....

Don't give yourself a chance to get bored.

Go for walks.
take her swimming as soon as she's had all her jabs (if you're giving them to her)
Go to baby massage
Go and visit friends and family
Go to museums and art galleries (Lottie loved the science museum from about 2 weeks old becasue of all the lights and stuff in there!)
Stay in together and watch all the movies you've always wanted to see
Sort out all your photo albums with her on the floor on her playmat next to you
Cook lovely meals each night - go through all your cookery books and plan what you'll make and have fun sourcing the ingrediants

As a rule though - babies themselves are a bit boring after a while yes - but don't get bored yourself, get active

Hope it gets less boring for you.

No it really is boring, the other people are just putting up a front. Society conspires to make women massively responsible. the best thing is to rebel. if you have any available income spend it on childcare done by other people. keep a distance from your children whenever possible. they will thank you later for not being a walking cliche and suffocating them. the enemy is not your child but the ridiculous social machinery that conspires to make you feel guilty. tell them to fuck off. see your childless friends and be thankful that they are sane. don't talk about your children when you see them. give your work priority. say no to your children often. don't tolerate selfish and demanding behaviour. make them help you in the home as soon as they are five. don't feel you have to give in to their every whim. if there is a father let him take responsiblity. put your relationship with him first. if there is none or you are separated use every social facility available. never give up doing this even if you think your children will fail as a result. if any teacher or school employee suggests you are not a good mother tell them where to go. never forget children are boring and you are not. previous generations did not collude and pander to their children in this way. it is a conspiracy to belittle women. no wonder the UK is so low in the equality tables. there is no support for mothers but just a vengeful society. the NHS, schools are awful. private sector slightly better. never internalise. don't feel guilty. they will grow up anyway. stick up for yourself.

I found it to be tedious as fuck until they were late teens. Each stage came with different demands.