Mums have it easy

[jfkfc]

Some interesting points of view here:

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1661404

"I imagine much of the moaning about being a mother is an attempt to justify sitting on one's backside for most of the day".

think my favourite comment was

"I find it all quite simple and enjoyable. It just takes a little organisation. All household tasks can be done in the morning quite easily, leaving time to get on with the more seldom done tasks like cleaning the oven/microwave/toilet/car in the afternoon, things my wife never does. I think it's just an attitude thing really."

I have to kind of agree with Sparkle, the worst part of parenting for me is the loneliness of being at home all day, I am/was a sahm and I took my son to every baby group there was but the mums you meet are not necessarily the people you'd be friends with irl, the monotony of life as a sahm for me is quite depressing, once again I find myself at home everyday while all my friends work, my sons at school and my job is to look after the house.....I hate it.....almost to the point where I actually do feel depressed.

There seems to be a weird assumption going on that all "mums" are SAHMs.

I work full time and then look after my one-year-old anytime I'm not working (my husband is self-employed so working all hours at the moment).

Whilst it's not exactly slaving down the pit, it is mentally exhausting. I was glad to go back to work though as i found the monotony of all day every day with my baby tough.

I had 6 under 2 (2 sets of triplets....), work full time, as does my husband who works 23 hour days, I clean the house and hand polish all the brass in the house daily, do the washing, shower, fit in an hours Pilates and spend quality, nurturing time with my 6 children, who happily bang pots and pans in their playpens and do macrame whilst I linseed oil the parquet flooring, sometimes the unicorn craps on the floor, but it is always dealt with swiftly and efficiently because I AM AMAZING AND YOU ALL SHOULD BE TOO.

zoe1983 DD1 was like that. So hard! Have you seen the Dr Sears high needs baby stuff?

You could say that about any job though if you were an idiot

What's the fuss about being a teacher - stand there teach a few things to some kids - easy

Mechanic - open the bonnet, twiddle about job done

IT switch it off and turn it on again easy etc

Zoe - yes mine is / was like that. Even until crawling he basically needed to be held all the time and now he just crawls round my legs all day / is carried round the house. I wouldn't dare even now at nearly 9 months leave him in a cot or something for 2 mins to have a shower or he would scream the house down.
And it took months and months and months before there was a more definitive gap between breastfeeds (still hourly through the night until about 7 months when it stitched to 2...)
I also wonder if I'm doing something wrong .. mainly when I see people pushing prams down the street and their babies happily inside (how do you get a baby to tolerate or even like the pram?!) ..

I don't get much housework done.

Mine could climb out of his cot at 9 months. He could also climb on to the windowsill and jump off.

This thread is assuming all babies and toddlers can sit quietly and entertain themselves in a play pen.

It is like me turning round and saying I don't understand why all your children aren't walking at 9 months because mine did. You just put them on their feet and they walk. Why are you still carrying them around.

Every child is different.

Who is looking after the children when you are concentrating on Pilates for an hour?

I have met a few mums who couldn't understand why my house was a mess when they managed to work full time, look after their children and clean the house. I did have to point out to them that they had a nanny a cleaner and parents who took the children every weekend.

Hmm. Have to say I'm pleasantly surprised by the majority of those piston heads posters!

Thank you gunpowder and passingthrough. I'll definitely have a good look at the Sears' stuff on high needs babies. I definitely think I need to find a way to just accept and "be at peace" with having a baby that wants to be held or fed 24/7. Anytime I try to gently steer her towards things like lying by herself in her cot for a few minutes while I pee; usually ends with both of us crying!

hazeyjane you just made me laugh more than I have in a long time. Thank you.