Stress and the Stay-at-home-mom

Do stay-at-home-moms (or SAHMs) have less stress than mom's who work? The general answer is no. However, it is a different type of stress. Working mom's have to balance work and home, while  SAHMs have to balance home with home. From my own experience, I have significantly less stress since becoming a SAHM. While working I had to get up, shower, and dress in the morning, get kids up, dressed, and fed then drop them off at school or daycare. Then the workday begins. When work was over, pick kids up (if the hubby hadn't already), go home, cook supper, feed kids and self, clean dishes, bathe kids, brush teeth, read books, and put kids to bed. By that point I was ready for bed myself. I left out the parts about diapers and feedings. Looking  back, how did I survive? Barely, that's how. Stressors at that time included getting places on time (which I seldom did), taking off work for doctor's appointments, sick kids (Heaven forbid I should ever be sick myself), and school functions, trying to run errands or take care personal matters during the workday, the rat race of responsibilities at home between 5 and 8 pm, and having NO time for myself. As a SAHM, a lot of those stressors are gone. The "time for myself" part is still a challenge and it's kind of like going to a job that you never leave. I still have to get my 6-year-old to school and picked up on time, but I'm much better at that now. And running errands during the day is much simpler, with the exception of my 3-year-old appendage. Interestingly, my house is no cleaner and ironing still does not get done. Ever try keeping a house clean with the aforementioned 3-year-old appendage following you around all day and a 6-year-old getting home at 2:30? However, the joy of actually SPENDING TIME with my kids that doesn't involve baths or frantic meals is the ultimate reward. Now the pay scale is another matter entirely . . .