SAHM's - what eventually made you return to work?

[ssd]

Apart from the money!!

I'm really missing adult company and I feel bad about this

I just don't think I could leave the kids with a childminder as I know them all.......and I wouldn't leave them.

I have no family who could help at all.

Don't know the answer

Anyone help?

One day I got up and thought that if I don't go out and do something which entailed me using my brain it would leach out of my ears in a big grey globby pool!!!

Have been back for 4.5 months now and I love it - think DS enjoys nursery finally too and he has come along in lots of ways with his eating and speech too!!

Originally went back because dh found out he was going to made redundant but had been thinking about for a while anyway because I was so bored at home once the youngest started school. I'm so glad I did!!!

ElenyaTuesday, what ages were your kids when you went back?

How did they find going to childcare or are you lucky and have family who help?

bump for any other views!

Was never officially a real SAHM, because I was just on a very long (1 yr 2month) mat leave. But I went back to work a week ago and I just enjoyed the very slow pace of the real world compared to looking after a baby and a toddler.

I was only a SAHM for a few years after dd2. Enjoyed it immensely while it lasted. A mixture of reasons prompted me to go back:
Wanting adults to talk to. Wanting a lunch break! Needing to use my brain again. Realising that me and dh were slipping into very traditional roles ie: him earning, me being the housewife.This was probably the main factor actually. I realised that when we both worked, dh and I had much more equal roles, sharing housework, picking up kids, cooking etc and when i stopped, it was like our worlds were gradually diverging. I just knew that i wanted our dds to have a more equal relationship with dh and myself, and going back to work has definitely helped that.oh and the money's nice too!

When my youngest had been in school for 6 months, I was starting to watch day time TV and (oh god I'm ashamed!) go for coffee mornings!! I realised I was becoming truly dull person!

ssd, my boys were aged 6 and 8. They went to a childminder before and after school but they knew her already as she had a son in ds1's year. That lasted about a year or so and then I started working from home some of the time so I can usually pick them up myself now.

actually thats the same age as my boys!

I know they'd be fine going to a childminder before or after school, but I don't know how I feel putting them there all day in the school holidays. They're too used to being at home I think.

Holidays are a bit more difficult - sometimes mine go to to a holiday club and sometimes my sil helps out (as she has two the same age as mine). When they were with the childminder they were actually quite happy to be with her all day as there were other kids to play with and she organised things for them to do. Like you, I was initially concerned (thought they were too fond of mummy!) but they settled in really quickly!