C/P: Do you feel like you spend the right amount of time?

[rbp]

I would like to spend more time with him. Not SAHM-level time, though.

[sunshine608]

On a Monday morning after spending the weekend with a teething,non-sleeping toddler, I would say less time. But by Friday I'll be like- I wish we had more time. together.

In general I wish I spent more time as I feel like M-F by the time I get him, get settled,dinner ect its time for bath and bed.

[patbutcher]

I think I spend enough time with her. I am with her from 7-8.30am every morning then 4pm-7pm every night and all day every day at the weekend.

In the school holidays, she is with us all day.

[cincodemayo]

It depends. There are weeks where I feel like I crave more time with him and then there are weeks where I'm think, "you know, I really could use an entire weekend away from you."

So I'd say it evens out to pretty perfect.

[hermione]

I voted yes. She goes to my mom 1-2 days a week, nursery school 2 days a week and I'm home with her 1-2 a week + weekends. I'm very lucky to get both a lot of time with her and a lot of time alone.

[Deleted]

My response to this question is directly proportional to how much of a PITA my 2 year old is. In my current state of mind I answered "enough" because over the last 2 weeks it has been both not enough and too much.

[shamrockshake]

I always feel like I want to spend more time with them then the weekend rolls around and we'll attempt to do something super fun with them that turns into a disaster and then I am like nope, that's enough time.

[smock]

I'd like more time on the weekdays, less time on the weekends.

[laurack]

I'd like a little more but not a TON more. I think if i didn't have my commute I would have enough time with them. (that would add two hours back)

but then, my commute is time for me where I read and such so I don't know.

I guess ideally my job would let me work 30 hours a week for the same pay. Then I'd have my "me time" commute AND more time with the kids

[fortnightlily]

This is hard one for me to answer. I spend so much time feeling overstretched on the weekends, and it often turns into "OMG, kid, stop bothering me for 10 minutes so I can get your lunch together!". I remember back to pre-kids where I had more time for myself, my hobbies, etc., so it often feels like, "oh, the kid is what's replaced that precious time".

But really it's just balancing kid/work/chores. My nights and weekends are a relentless blur of meal times, playgrounds, errands, tidying/cleaning, and laundry.

While I'm sick of the same playgrounds, and not looking forward to keeping a toddler entertained during the upcoming cold months, it's not that I desire less time with my son. I could dump him on my parents, but I could just as easily get the 'me' time back by outsourcing more of the rest.

[amaranth]

I'd like more breaks than I get. I'm a SAHM who used to work outside the home part time. That was 100% perfect. I wish for that back.

[kdubs923]

On a whiny morning like this morning, I could not drop him off at daycare fast enough. And I reminded myself daycare is worth every penny of that large check I write each month.

But generally, I'd like an extra hour or so of quality time each weekday. We have about 90 minutes-2hrs each night, but with dinner prep, him taking 45 minutes to eat the dinner, a little bit of playing and then bath and bed it doesn't feel like time together. 

I could use an another hour where we could actually go for a walk around the neighborhood or play outside. Or feel like I could run an errand with him without risking major meltdown mode.

[nessness]

I put "too much", but that's mostly because the separation anxiety is wearing on me. If I could leave the room for two minutes to start a load of laundry or whatever without her having a meltdown I probably wouldn't feel so desperate for alone time.

[Marmee]

I feel like it's fine...I mean I have a 2yr old & am a SAHM. I'm beyond thrilled she is sleeping in her own bed now. My other kids are in school & that's fine too. I have no desire to homeschool.

Now when/if I go back to work F/T I'll be sad I'll miss stuff. I rather be at work 9-3 than having to drop the kids at 7 & pick them up at 6 (which I suspect will become common & DH will work the same). That's 11hours out of 14 they are awake & away from me, DH & home. So yeah, I'd really like to find an alternative somehow. I'm not sure it's worth the extra money for me to work F/T...we shall see. DH wants me to do something else so I can continue to be there before/after school.

[thebreakfastclub]

His 9pm bedtime is too late for me. I would prefer 8pm. The evenings will really drag in the winter if I can't get it moved to 8.

[water*drop]

I don't know that I wish I had more time with them in general, but I wish the time we have together now was more QUALITY time. Like, we try really hard to be in the moment with them, blah, blah, blah, but that would be a lot more fun for me if I didn't then have to rush around to get everything ready for work, pick up the house, AND try to relax in the time between when they go to bed and when I go to bed. Sooooo, I think I'd like to keep the same amount of time with my kids but convert one hour of my work day to a childfree hour at home.

[mrshandy]

I don't think I get to spend enough time with DD. She's goes to be earlier than DS.

I feel like I have enough time with DS, although I would like to see him in the mornings before I go to work. Thank god for telework. I get a little more time with them, which I'm thankfull for.

[justjen]

Is it possible to both want to spend more time with them and less time with them? lol

I would like to see them more on a day-to-day basis. But I would also like more regularly scheduled alone time

[mmmomof2]

Too much! Due to DH's work schedule, work travel, and his general responsibilities I feel like I solo parent a ton. That's life as a SAHM, but I get burnt out. I'm taking a week long girls' trip next month and I don't feel guilty! Whee!

I do with I had more one on one time with each one. Now that DD1 is in first grade I feel like I have a lot of time with my 3 yo, but I miss my alone time with my 6yo. That was a nice thing about having Disney passes - I could take each DD as a "date" and it was awesome.

[mlt]

I get less than an hour with DS2 during weekdays. Absolutely not enough. I often feel desperate for more time. He's 18 months and I love this age so much so I think that makes it harder right now.

[kangaroo11]

Now that she's in preschool, it's a perfect amount of time.

[abs]

During the school year it's the perfect amount and even not enough some days.

During the summer it's WAY WAY WAY too much. I still have PTSD from this past summer.

[biogirl21]

I think I spend enough time with him. I do hate that I'm not there for bedtime Monday and Wednesday, but I spend 4 hours with him mid-day. I'm with him all day Friday-Sunday and it is more than enough.

[simpsongal]

Sept 28, 2015 9:00:37 GMT -5 rbp said:

I would like to spend more time with him. Not SAHM-level time, though.

This.

[meltoine]

I have mom guilt about putting DS2 in MDO 3 days per week. I wanted to do 2, but H and basically everyone convinced me to do 3 since we have a newborn.

But other than that, yes. I think I spend adequate quality time with each of them.

[anna7602]

I was just thinking this morning that the whole thing about being on your death bed and not saying "I wish I worked more" is not me. I woke up this morning very much thinking "I wish I worked more" this weekend in particular and finished this project that I really care about and want to make as perfect as possible. Instead, I worked when the kids were sleeping and spent most of their waking time with one or the other or both of them Saturday and Sunday, minus one hour at the gym. 

ETA: My work goes in waves. I don't wish I was working more all of the time. But I do sometimes regret some of the projects I turn down in order to get more work/life balance. If I didn't have kids in the picture, I would definitely be taking on more of those projects and not feeling like it cut into my ability to manage other aspects of my life. 

[pinkdutchtulips]

I'm a single solo parent w zero breaks ... I love dd dearly but every now and then I'd like a night off of being in mom mode !

[CrazyLucky]

The mornings are a crazy rush. The evenings, at best, have two hours of time when we have to eat, bathe, read, play. If it's a soccer night, we're down to one hour. I wish I had more time. I don't think I could be a SAHM, but I could definitely be a part time worker.

[scribellesam]

I love them and being a SAHM, but a little more time on my own would be pretty great.

[noodleskooze]

Sept 28, 2015 9:00:37 GMT -5 rbp said:

I would like to spend more time with him. Not SAHM-level time, though.

This. I only get two hours with him on weekdays, then I have whole weekend days with him. I wish I could average it out more evenly. lol