Men, how do you feel about SAHM?

katiemegcz

I was in the weird middle-world of shift work as a nurse, where I was able to attend school events, get my kids off to school, do the housework, be a brownie leader, etc, but still go to work on night shift. So I got to hear both sides of this. The SAHP's (which I say because it was a nice split between moms and dads) would spend time deriding the working parents as though they were choosing to be away forom their children. At night, the working parents would talk about a romanticized version of how awesome it would be to stay home and lunch with friends and have no goal but to please their spouses and raise super-children.

The grass is always greener. SAHPs is a stupid concept. It is Work at Home Parents. Raising contributing members of society is a full time job, whether you do another job or not. Working-outside the home parents still come home to a messy house and laundry, and emotional and physical needs of their children and spouses, so they do not have the luxurious and lazy life some SAHPs might think.

Years later, my husband and I both work from home and travel (opposites when possible). One of us is always home when the kids get up and when they get home. We both load the dishwasher and take kids to the dentist, attend school events and work our butts off. It works for us. Our house is not always pristine, our kids are not perfect, and we are often too tired to even catch up at the end of the day, but we are all happy. If one of us lost our job, we would figure out what works FOR US. If one of my 3 daughters wanted to be a SAHP, I would be thrilled for them and let them know that education and personal fulfillment is just as important to a SAHP as it is to a work-outside-the-home-parent. Why on earth would anyone care what other people do?

OP, nobody cares what you think and you shouldn't care what anyone else thinks. I certainly do not want people of narrow experience with a bias like that influencing how my daughters decide on their futures. Person who blamed the feminists...I'm pretty sure feminists did not keep you from meeting a man who would support the lifestyle you want. If you want it, make it happen, but stop blaming phantom feminists.

olmstea

I think that every person needs a way to support him/her self because you never know when you might have to work and earn a paycheck. (Divorce, death, all kinds of other bad things...)

That being said, I see no issues with stay-at-home folks and believe that it can benefit the child greatly. But if it is not financially (or otherwise) possible, lots of kids grow up perfectly normal with two working parents.

So I guess my opinion is to do whatever you want to do, but always be sure to have a degree and/or work experience that will allow you to get a job if circumstances change. :drinker:

WendyTerry420

I'm really glad that someone bumped this thread. We do need more drama.

Oh, and I'm totally for SAHMs wearing high heels and pearls but not much else

Ha!

And OP has deactivated. Love it!

WendyTerry420

SAHM? Is that the blue collar equivalent of a trophy wife?

Can blue collar folks afford it in this economy? I'm a white collar worker, and we've been struggling since the inflation of gas, energy, food, and rent prices.