I got to be home two days this week while Janelle was on jury duty. I got to plant the garden, clean the garage, play board games, and even took a nap! There might be a little bit of "grass is greener" syndrome going on here, but I could definitely see myself adjusting to it and being extremely happy staying home and raising the kids while Janelle went to work and earned our living.
I never really considered it an option. I was raised on the notion that the man was responsible to provide for the family and I set my goals to accomplish what was expected of me. If I had ever been taught that I truly had a choice (in more than just a lip-service kind of way) I honestly might be a very different person than I am today.
So if Janelle ever finds a job that provides an equal or better living than mine, you'll find me at home with the girls.
Did you get to struggle round the busy supermarket juggling babies, get the groceries put away while trying to calm kids yelling for snacks, wash a bunch of faeces-covered clothes, clean the excess from the clothes off the floor/ carpet/ kid, clean the toilet?...week, nay month in, month out, believe me, Benjamin, this drudgery palls. There are highlights, yes, but having done both, I would say without a doubt that working away from home is by far the easier and, dare I as an LDS woman say it, more fulfilling lifestyle. The monotony of home and child-related EVERYTHING, without intellectual stimulation, is soul destroying. I adore my children, and place their wellbeing at the forefront of everything I do, but my brain needs a challenging outlet, as I suspect do many people's. But good luck with that one!
ReplyDelete