Are you happy with your job?

[JaneDoe]

My job at home: increasingly higher satisfaction, but increasingly harder.

This is absolutely how I feel too!!!!

[Michele]

My overall job satisfaction is probably a 2 out of 5. That combines my vet work and my mom work.

Vet work: since this is Grand Rounds I'll edit, but there are A LOT of things about my current clinic that I would change. As for the actual vet-ing, I love that. It's a great profession and I enjoy (need) the external accolades and daily challenge.

Mom work: I love my boys but I'm exhausted. My patience is sooo thin right now. I'm a terrible housekeeper and the mess frustrates me. When I have a free minute, I don't want to be putting laundry away or washing dishes....so I don't. And it shows. I need to find an energy outlet for the boys. I think if I could wear them out better they'd sleep better, and I'd sleep better and then I'd have more energy to put into the housework....but really I feel like I'm just failing all the time.

I have to say part of the reason I enjoy working out of the home is because I can fix things. I can solve problems and do something right. At home, I am always feeling like I should've done that better, should've handled that situation better, should've been more productive.

Oh and at the clinic, people call me Doctor and follow my orders!


ETA: I think after my SAHM stint next year for fellowship, things will improve. I can find a clinic that will better fit my needs and I think being near family will improve my outlook. At the very least, having a babysitter will be nice!

[L.Jane]

I really don't know how to rate my satisfaction. I think I would have to go with 2.5. Part of me wants to say three. I am frustrated with the fact that I work just as hard as everyone else but do not get paid anything near what they are being paid, nor do I get benefits (I am paid as a long term sub although I am required to do everything every other full teacher has to do). I am frustrated with the district that believes every single one of its students are mad geniuses and creates their study time lines based on this. The district expects these students to master all their multiplication and division skills in five weeks, with a two week break in between those weeks. Its ridiculous. I am also frustrated with my class. I have a very difficult class full of third graders who are incapable of working independently and not talk to the person next to them. I am not quite sure what they were taught in first and second, but it seems it was totally appropriate to get up from your desk and follow the teacher around until they got the answer they wanted.

But the other half of the coin is, I love teaching. I love seeing when a student makes strides and even when they don't, but they are still trying. Those who don't always get it, but try so hard, they are what makes the job worth it. Every time a student makes an advancement it just makes every headache, political BS, and setback worth it.

[houseelf]

Dare I say it? I really enjoy staying at home. 5 out of 5. It doesn't mean that I don't occasionally crave some ideal part time job or miss my lunch hour like nobody's business, but for the most part, I'm at peace. Additionally, my husband is *finally* supportive of this role for me in our family. It was a mind warp for him for quite some time.

I think that I'm only at this place because I wohm for the first seven years of mommyhood. My personality would have made me much more ambivalent if I hadn't had that experience.

Kelly

[Vishenka69]

I'm not sure what my current job is. I guess being pregnant, which I would rate 1 out of 5. I absolutely hate it each and every day and the only reason for 1 point is for occasionally getting special treatment due to my condition.

I loved being SAHW though. I'm not even close to Martha Stewart but I liked how smoothly everything ran when I had the time and energy for taking care of the house. Our relationship also functions much better when I get my morning sleep and don't feel rushed to squeeze all the chores into the weekend. I hope that I like being a SAHM just as much because I can't imagine adding mommyhood to working full time.

[Chrisada]

I'll give my current job of SAHM mom while watching two daycare kids three days out of a week a 4 out of 5. I'm really grateful that I am able to stay at home with our children and make money, while DH is in medical school. I could not have asked for anything better. It can be frustrating only because we live in family campus and therefore do not have much room. So it can feel overwhelming. I'm looking forward to DH starting residency next year, which will allow me to be a full SAHM without having to watch anyone else's kids.

Before med. school I was a student and teacher. I earned two master's in education while teaching for three years. So I was busy outside the home. I'd personally rather being busy inside of my home. I absolutely do not plan on working outside of my home again.

[GrayMatterWife]

However, I really don't like playing Barbies, trains, Chutes and Ladders, etc. I make and effort to do so at least once a day, but frankly, it's not something that I truly enjoy.

Oh, geez. Me, too! I love reading to them, cooking with them, taking walks with them...I even like running errands with them usually. But I don't really like the "playing toys with them" aspect. I tell DS, "I'm Mom, not your playmate. Sorry, buddy!"

[mommax3]

I work part-time (9:30 to 2:30 every week day) and have three boys who are very active in sports. Before Christmas Break, I would have said that my satisfaction with my teaching job was a 4 /5 and with my job at home maybe a 2.5/5. I felt like the only time I saw my oldest was when I was driving him somewhere, and I felt like the whole family was held hostage by his schedule, which we never knew much ahead of time. Very frustrating.

Since break, I have felt calmer and would say I am a 4/5 for both jobs. I know the parenting aspect is going to wax and wane. I have some concerns about my teaching job due to the financial climate in my state, and know that there are potential additional job assignments I could be given that would cause me to resign. I would be bummed if that happened, honestly. My boys don't need me to be home during the day, but having the job I have allows me to have a sense of what is going on with them and to know the right questions to ask to get them talking about their day.

When they were pre-schoolers, I was home and glad to be there, even though honestly, I was often bored. I really felt it was important for *my* kids, given our life situations when they were that age, that they be home with me except for when they went to pre-school. I don't think that is the right choice for everyone, but it was for us. Now that they are older, I don't relish the thought of being home all day every day. Depending on what happens, though, I may get the chance to figure out how to make that work for me!

[peggyfromwastate]

I've been thinking about this for a while... I think that right now I am happy with my job as a SAHM. I can't quantify it, like the pain scale, you know... But I know for a fact that if I wasn't here as a SAHM this past year, if I was working, I probably would have had to leave the job to take care of the kids and all the issues that have happened. I have had to go to the school every day to give DS his insulin dose. 6 weeks after the diagnosis, the school has just trained the nurse aide to give the insulin. I still have to go in when she is gone. I'm happy to do this. I have felt very grateful to be able to be there for him, to get to know the health aide better, and to feel secure in my belief that she can manage his diabetes.

I have also been happy to be able to sign my kids up for their extracurriculars. They wouldn't be able to do soccer, swimming, basketball, if I was working. Even if I could get off work early to take them to the practices, it just would be a layer of stress that was insurmountable.

Since I know I'm needed here at home, and that I'm doing what I need to be doing, I would say I like my job...

DH has said more than once this past year that he can not imagine what we'd do if I was working. It's nice for him to appreciate me-- he always does, he's great with that, but it's validating when he verbalizes that he appreciates that I'm here for the kids and for him and for the stuff that happens.

[rockgirl]

as a sahm life is pretty darn great right now. 4.5 out of 5. not every day goes perfect or according to plan but for the most part the good days far outweigh the tough times. money is very tight but we have everything we need.

I am loving what I am doing. I would rate it a 4/5 due to my commute to work. 92.4 miles each way. Yuck!!! But, it is worth it because I love my job!

[Flynn]

I'm stealing ideas from JaneDoe because what she said rang very true for me as well.


I also work as a SAHM. I love it most of the time and I can't imagine going back to working outside of the home, at least while my kids are young. When my youngest is in school full time I plan on helping out more with a few charities and being more active at their school.

I would rank my job satisfaction as a 4 or 4.5. Right now my kids are ages 7,5, and 19 months.

What I love about being a SAHM:
1. I'm there for my kids all the time. I really KNOW my kids.
2. The flexibility
3. Lower stress level related to not being worried about being two places at once (although this is getting more difficult as my kids get older and involved in more things). I don't have to worry about taking time off from work because of a sick child.
4. Taking care of the home. It's a never ending process but, strangely, I derive a lot of satisfaction from being the CHO (Chief Home Officer).
5.) I would miss all the conversations we have through out the day if I were working outside the home. I talk with my five year old all the time and his "best" times where he's super curious, well rested, and ready for anything are all before dinner time. We solve problems, look up animals or "creatures" like Centaurs or Unicorns, and just bond really. We play board games and do art projects. Etc. It's valuable time to me.

What I dislike about being a SAHM:
1. There is very little feedback about my performance. My husband could be better about praise here.
2. No coworkers. I miss having coworkers to talk about things that don't include recipes, kids, husbands, or being a mom in general. I've tried to start a bookclub and do "Mom's night out" with some success. I get a tiny bit bitter because I'm the "planner" in my group of friends and I take the lion's share of hosting and coming up with ideas to give us all a break from our SAH duties. It's not rocketscience ladies!!! Help me out here!!!

I was a high school teacher before we had kids. Consequently my earning power was pretty minimal. When we were in residency, childcare would have taken a huge chunk out of my salary and so I stayed home and we tightened the strings on our budget.

My mom was a part time teacher (sub) when my brother (5 years my Jr.) was in school full time and gradually became a full time teacher when Jr. high/high school activities kept us at school until at least 4. While my mom DID work, it rarely impacted my life. I remember about two times in Jr. high when I was sick and had to "rest" in the nurses station because my mom was working. My mom's salary basically went for vacations and college money. My dad's salary was significantly more and yet without her salary our lives would have been different. I felt like I had a SAHM but really my mom worked at least part time when I was 11 on up. At one point she had three kids, a husband, a full time teaching job and was getting her masters degree. The salary bump made it worth it but those 14 months were very stressful for her. I don't know how she did it!

I also work as a SAHM. I love it and I can't imagine going back to working outside of the home, at least while my kids are youing. I would rank my job satisfaction as a 4.5 or 5 too. This is a much higher rating than when was I working with no kids and then for awhile working with one child. I really didn't enjoy my job as an attorney, but I wonder if it had more to do with the job itself and not the field of work.

Anyway, what I love about being a SAHM:
1. I'm there for my kids all the time
2. The flexibility
3. Lower stress level related to not being worried about being two places at once (although this is getting more difficult as my kids get older and involved in more things). I don't have to worry about taking time off from work because of a sick child.
4. Taking care of the home. It's a never ending process but, strangely, I derive alot of satisfaction from being the CHO (Chief Home Officer).

What I dislike about being a SAHM:
1. There is very little feedback about my performance, unless you count the wining, crying, talking back, etc. There are days when I wonder whether I'm really doing a decent job as a Mom.
2. No coworkers. I miss having coworkers, but I'm getting much better about reaching out to other Moms and getting together for playdates and social events.
3. This is going to sound awful, but I'm going to come out and say it: I don't like playing with my kids very much. Don't get me wrong- I love taking care of them, feeding them, snuggling with them, talking to them, etc. However, I really don't like playing Barbies, trains, Chutes and Ladders, etc. I make and effort to do so at least once a day, but frankly, it's not something that I truly enjoy. Fortunately, I have Dh, who compensates for me in this area of parenting. He's really good about playing with the kids.

I am with you on this as well. I love reading and singing to my daughter but playing with the toys is hard to get into for me. I do like taking her to playgrounds and outdoors to play though. My DH is really good at compensating for this as well.

I would give my job as a SAHM a 4 out of 5. I miss the adult interaction, mental challenges and salary that come along with being in the work force; however, I love being with my daughter and watching her grow without having to worry about missing out on anything. My sleep is also really finicky since I had my daughter so I am glad I don't have to worry about waking up to early and going to work after a lousy night of sleep.
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[HouseofWool]

I've thought a lot about this in the last week and am coming to realize that my dissatisfaction with my job has more to do with my dissatisfaction with my life in general. If you had asked me a year ago, my response would have been completely different. Since then, life as I knew it disintergated completely, E all but imploded, the kids and I have moved in with my parents and I am on my way to becoming a single mother.

Being a SAHM is both rewarding and thankless. I am beyond grateful to my parents for giving me the opportunity to see Sophie grow up and to be there for Caleb through this crappy time. I am not sure that C or I would be as intact emotionally if I was working full time.

All of that said, I am really struggling. My social network is miniscule and it is tricky to get out of the house either with the baby (she gets fussy and it screws up her nap schedule) or without (I feel guilty for asking my mom to take care of the kids for me). I know that I need to get out and meet some new people but I feel stuck.

Eventually I would like to meet someone new, but how the heck do I do that? I met E when I was 20 and we spent 15 years together. The only place I go regularly is freakin' Wal-Mart, not really the ideal place to find a winner.

And count me in the camp that doesn't really like to play with my kids. Board games are fine, but I cannot sit down and build lego crap with my son. It makes me want to cry.

[Rapunzel]

I'm a five out of five with my job satisfaction right now.