Goodness -- I'm glad I read this thread, because the comments and raised eyebrows are already starting. I won't be returning to work, now that we have our son. My salary would barely cover daycare, and my former work (college-level teaching) does not end when leaving work (grading, lesson plans, paperwork, meetings, student emails, etc.). Our son would suffer, and we would suffer. Somehow, we'd still have to get all of the housework accomplished, my husband would still be on a national-level job search (lots of travel), and he would somehow still have to finish his dissertation and teach his classes and attend to his department's meetings and needs. But some are still making comments like:
"Oh, it'll be nice for you to have some time for yourself."
---Either you haven't had a baby before, or you don't recall the experience. And housework does take a lot of time. Laundry for 3 (including aforementioned-infant) alone is quite the daily task.
"Are you bored already, or what?"
--- Or what. Our son is highly entertaining and engaging. When he naps, I take care of the house, catch up with friends and relatives, read for pleasure, catch a little tv, etc.
"Don't you get any breaks from the baby?"
--- DH happily spends time with Baby when he comes home -- he misses his son during the day, and doesn't want to lose out on all of the milestones, much less the opportunity to build a relationship with the little guy. So long as I'm not needed for feeding, I use that time to catch up on housework or personal needs.
Glad to see that it isn't just me. I guess people thought I was quite the career woman, or something? Or it's just so common to not stay at home that it's surprising to them?
