I want to be a SAHM
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I want to be a SAHM
| Tue, 08-23-2011 - 7:28pm |
Hi everyone. My name is Kristin. I have a 2 year old daughter and my DH and I are TTC another. I am currently a teacher. I took off about 6 months when my DD was born, but went back to work. I love teaching, but I feel like the demands are getting greater and greater. My class sizes increase, the number of students in my class go up, and the paperwork; which amounts to me not having a lot of time for my family. My husband is scared to not have my income coming in. So am I. But I am so unhappy. I leave for work at 7:15 or earlier in the morning and then I get home most nights around 6 PM. I arrive at work early and I leave work late. I work on my lesson plans and grading at home during the night and weekend. I TRY to do it all at school, but it never happens. I tried leaving as soon as I am aloud and doing it all at home and that is even worse. When I get home at 6 PM I cook dinner which we eat later than I would like. Then I clean up some from dinner. I sit down at like 7:30 and play with my DD give her a bath and then put her to bed. I spend.... 2 hours with her on a good day that is not spent in a car, or with me engaged in something else. I am burnt out. I am writing this now while my husband plays outside with her because I have a headache and needed to take something and chill. I get her in bed and then clean some more until about 8:30 at which point I start grading papers or doing lesson plans. Sometimes I grade papers while I watch TV. I crash into bed at 10:00 only to do it all again the next day. My husband thinks he does a lot. He thinks he does half the cleaning, but he doesn't! He has not cleaned a bathroom in MONTHS, he considers unloading the dishwasher, and running the vacuum now and then helping with the cleaning. So then I spend my weekend trying to get the house back in order. Now take 3 weeks in a row like I had recently. We went on Vacation for me to get home and need to go to my parents to help my dad over the weekend, then I was home but back at work, then this past weekend we went to visit his family. Our house looks like a disaster area! I am so tired all of the time and I feel stressed out. I am sick of trying to be a trooper and doing it for the family. What I WANT to do for my family is be at home with them, caring for them, keeping the house in order, and making them meals.
Now I think the ideal would be SAHM, but I think WAHM would be fine too. I am thinking about doing in home daycare. I know from experience that there is not enough quality care available. I know I would be great at it. But again DH is scared. He thinks it will not work out and he is scared that if I leave my job I won't be able to get another. And I get that and all, but I hate making decisions in fear. Any thoughts or suggestions would be helpful. Thanks.

With my DH, my first offense is always a budget.
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That is a tough one... I know how hard it would be to wait when you want to home so bad but would waiting until next summer be an option.
I can say, though, that my house is more of a disaster now than it was when I was working. It's because nobody was ever here to mess it up. Now, I feel like I just keep cleaning in circles. I think it will be better now that Ian just started back to school, but I still have Hurricane Lucy to contend with.
Oh boy- I totally could have just written your post. I just left teaching for all of the reasons you mentioned, Of course most important- to spend more time with my little boy. I was up at 5, out the door by 6:30, taught until 3:20, picked my son up from the sitter, coached gymnastics 4-7 and then drove an hour home. There was no time for anything.
I worked out a budget on what would be saved in gas and daycare verse what I made as a teacher. Luckily for me, I have coaching to fall back on. So I do that M-F 3-8, but get all morning with my son and no paperwork.I have no regrets leaving teaching. Someday I may go back, but for now I am enjoying all the extra time to do the little things.
I say work out a budget and check into possibly tutoring in the afternoons/evenings or getting a part time job so you feel (and DH) like you are contributing. In the end, if it's what you want and feel is best, it will all work out.
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Click Here for Let's Fix Dinner!
Click Here for Let's Fix Dinner!