Child care, is it such hard work?

[darcymum]

I know it is commonly agreed to be the hardest job in the world but I just don't think it's that hard at all. My children do all sleep well which I think makes a huge difference to my ability to cope.

When I was pregnant with my first everyone said what hard work it was having a baby, it wasn't. Then with the second they said I would struggle to cope with two under two, I didn't. Then with the third people gasped that I was mad to have three under three, I'm not (?).

Have a broken some unwritten code that we all keep quiet about how easy it all is?

Come on then I know the daggers will be out for me.

I think you are lucky and it sounds like you are very happy which is nice. I am also happy and think I have a nice life. I have a job I love, a good relationship with dh and inlaws, no major life stresses. i love my ds dearly and love being a mum, he is fun, sweet, loving and makes me laugh.

I still find motherhood hard, I find the chaos and mess difficult, dh finds it harder which makes it more stressful. Ds has never been a fab sleeper and he´s almost 3 so that accumulates. I don´t have friends with children; I imagine having playdates and being able to meet your mates regularly to let the kids play would be heaven, I love it when ds meets a nursery friend in the park and they entertain each other. I´d love playdates with them but it doesn´t seem easy to engineer around here. I don´t have MY family close and I feel it. I find repetitive toddler games boring. my job is FT and demanding and it often overlaps into my home time and means I am sometimes half distracted with work while ds is pulling me away to play games and dh sulks because I am on the phone again.

I knew a girl like you, she loved being pregnant, she was a sahm and had lots of friends with kids, she loved every minute. I marvelled.

Good lord, is it a competition?

Why did nobody SAY?!!!!!!

If it is, hunkermunker, when do we get the prizes? Is one of them an all-expenses-paid vacation with childcare, somewhere nice and hot?

(Ooh, good - now what can I exaggerate in my life to make sure I win Top Prize?!)

P.S. - love your screen name - is it after the Only Funny Beatrice Potter Story with the Two Bad Mice?

I'm guessing the prize would be an all expenses paid holiday where you look after all the other guests DCs as you are so brilliant at it.

I think the OP's point is that its basically not permitted to admit that looking after children can be quite straightforward, as the responses haev proved! Personally I've found it challenging, tedious and life changing but not that hard really, even with twins

sometimes I find it easy (mostly when I'm at work ) sometimes I find it incredibly hard. Some ages have been easier than others.

I find sitting drinking coffee whilst DS plays with his friends incredibly easy. Getting up every day without fail or break between 5.30 and 7am very difficult as I am not a morning person.

I find DS being sick incredibly stressful and tiring and I get up to him in the night then get up and work a full day.

Even then I wouldn't claim is was a terribly hard life compared to some. In fact I would say I was pretty happy despite not really being able to describe my life as "easy".

Very happy for you though.

Agreed Cherys
If I could get 10 hours of deep sleep per night, I think it would be quite easy.
But even then, the physical aspects of hsving to take him out of dangerous situations is very hard, being so heavily pregnant.
I think I can safely say DS spends between 2-3 hours a day indulging in on the floor screaming tantrums, and usually in public.
I sat down and just ate a bag of popcorn earlier this evening in tescos, while people had to step over him, he got quite an audience, but that's just part of our days.
It's not that my parenting is bad, I think I do it well, I wait for it to pass, ask him if he's finished and say 'ok let's go'.
The emotional outbursts of 1-3 yr olds just can't be controlled and interfearing doesn't help.
How often your child does that I think is down to your luck, my boy has some delayed communication development so gets frustrated and does it a lot, I try my best, but I would find it offensive for someone to say I'm just 'not a natural' I cope brilliantly considering.

DS is 3 next week. I work full time. I can count the number of nights he has slept through on 2 hands. I suppose in your world view, having only one child, I have nothing to carp about

What is the point of your OP, exactly? It might be easy for you, big fucking deal. It isn't easy for everyone.

Rubyslippers, a 4 minute shower? I've got mine down to 2! Seriously though, your post stood out, are you ok?

i am severely sleep deprived and starting to not cope too well

am off to the GP as they wanted to check whether i am anaemic ...

my 2 are just at very demanding ages

thank you for asking

I'm with rubyslippers. it's hell.

I wouldn't call it hell from my personal pov. It's just that work is an awful lot easier. So I'm going to go in on Monday and tell my colleagues to stop the conspiracy and admit that we're all having an easy ride.

Hats off to OP. I have one ds, 2.5. He is a reasonable sleeper and has no special needs, as a family we have no particular issues. But in general I find the 3 days I go to work easier than the days with him (and I'm a lawyer with a pressured work load). At least at work I get a lunch break, people listen to what I say and generally do what I ask them to and I get half an hour to read my book on the tube.

I love it one day, can't believe how lucky I am having two wonderful dds, the next I think I will climb the walls with the boredom of the housework and the wiping (arses, surfaces, noses, floors)!

We used to live in one room, all twenty-six of us, no furniture, 'alf the floor was missing, and we were all 'uddled together in one corner for fear of falling.
I found it an absolute doddle.