Are working moms stretched too thin?

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2004
Are working moms stretched too thin?
1078
Tue, 06-13-2006 - 2:45pm

Do you think a mom who works full-time and has kids is stretched too thin?

I was working full-time up till November of 2005. Then I decided that it was all too much. I was exhausted and found that when I did get to spend time with my little guy (he is now 2 1/2) I was very impatient with him because I was soo tired. Also the stress of work often overflowed into my personal life (both with ds and dh).

Now that I have been home for over 6 months, I am finally starting to be more patient and am enjoying my son instead of rushing him along. If he want to take 20 minutes to get into the car - ok, no problem.

So - do you think that trying to juggle work, kids, marriage and all the stresses that come with those things is too much? (I did)

Maybe when my son is older - then I will go back to work and it might be easier because he will be more self-sufficient? Who knows? All I know is that for now, I am enjoying being a SAHM and am glad for the time I get to devote to my son and the lower stress levels (that I believe were very unhealthy for me).

josee

Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-27-2005
Fri, 06-16-2006 - 4:09pm

Maybe this depends on the size of the child? Dd weighed all of 20lbs soaking wet when she was 2. It would have been no contest at that age :-).

Seriously, though, the first scenario was an issue for me because we hadn't lived very many years in Sweden at that time, had only a few acquaintances, no family and the only close friend I had who would have been willing to do a pick-up for me had to be on the other side of town at exactly the same time to pick up her daughter. I generally planned plenty of time so that it wasn't an issue, but there were times when she went into her car seat a less-than-happy camper (though I don't remember an outright wrestling match).

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Fri, 06-16-2006 - 4:09pm

I've seen them all.

PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 06-16-2006 - 4:09pm
Or they haven't met my DH, who typifies why the combination of laziness and passive/aggressive tendencies is downright ugly.

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> 

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-12-2003
Fri, 06-16-2006 - 4:10pm

Hmmm maybe my tantruming 2yos are different. Making them sit in a carseat and strapping them in for me didn't require any more force than making them stay in my arms when they didn't want to be.

ETA: Are you imagining something like holding the kid down with your knee while strapping them in, or something like that? Because I don't think that's what anyone is talking about.




Edited 6/16/2006 4:13 pm ET by charlesmama1
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Fri, 06-16-2006 - 4:10pm

Hey, we are a whole debate board with over 480,000 comments about it.


PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Fri, 06-16-2006 - 4:11pm

True.


PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 06-16-2006 - 4:12pm
to me that just seems beyond cruel to a 2 year old who doesnt for a minute remember having a fit about getting in the car seat 6 weeks ago. i could see that working with a 6 or 7 year old but never would i do that to a 2 year old.
Jennie
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-27-2005
Fri, 06-16-2006 - 4:12pm
Hopefully those edges have smoothed out a bit :-)? I told dh about the towel/pee thing and he just cringed.
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-12-2003
Fri, 06-16-2006 - 4:12pm
Very true, that's how I always felt about it. I wonder if dh or I either saw the actual first... I mean, it's likely the first time baby rolls over is in his/her crib in the middle of the night, or during naptime.
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-19-2004
Fri, 06-16-2006 - 4:12pm

"Dd weighed all of 20lbs soaking wet when she was 2."

Glad to know my son isn't the only one that is small. He was also 20 lbs at 2 and now (at 2.5 years) is maybe 21-22lbs soaking wet.

Pages