What would make your job as a SAHM easier?

[Greaseball]

So far, I've heard that SAHMs want money/other benefits (like workers comp and social security) and respect; being seen as people who have "real jobs." Those seem to be at the top of peoples' lists.

What else?

[RyvreWillow]

i think that really covers it...i mean, the most important rewards are the ones we see every day; the way our kids thrive on our love and the fact that there are few missed moments; we get to be there for all the big milestones, etc. But i know of very few SAHMs that wouldn't benefit from another full-time paycheck.

[Greaseball]

A few more things I can think of:
- If more dh's had jobs that allowed time off (preferably paid) for childbirth or wife's illness
- If I lived in an area near a lot of other SAHMs
- If when I made appointments with people who come to my home to do things, they didn't assume they could just drop in anytime unnanounced since "I'm just home all day anyway."

[MamaMonica]

It would make my life easier to have a community of other SAHMs nearby to talk with over the fence and share childcare - if I needed to go to the dentist I'd have someone to babysit the kids.

All the above as well.

[willowsmama]

A community of SAHM's would be a biggie. But other then that, a paycheck, a dishwasher and for dh to get more paid time off. After we take a vacation in the summer, i'm screwed if I get sick.

[NaomiLorelie]

A community of SAHM's would be wonderful, or it would be nice if my family was more helpful. I hate cleaning and have a hard time getting motivated so if I could afford maid service I would be so satisfied. For me personally, i would do anything for DH to have a M-F job with set hours. As it is, he works 60+ hours a week on a random schedule. That makes things difficult.

[chalupamom]

Uh...a weekly massage appointment and a standing pedicure arrangement?

I actually live in an area with a large number of active, organized SAHMs and I have to say that it really hasn't effected me one way or another. It's just like the women I met in any job or in school - some I like, some I don't - but knowing them doesn't make my life easier or harder, you know? There are all kinds of clubs here but I haven't found one I feel compelled to join - I don't want to hang out with people who do pretty much the exact same thing as me. There are a couple moms that I might be swapping childcare with, but nothing formal or regular. We'll see how that goes.

Anyway, I guess more money would be nice. A once-weekly errand runner would be good, too, to pick up my dry cleaning, fill my gas tanks, pick up the inevitable four things I forgot at the market and so on.

[edamommy]

a nanny!

lol... I couldn't resist.

[neveryoumindthere]

another adult

[Wilhemina]

Originally Posted by chalupamom

Uh...a weekly massage appointment and a standing pedicure arrangement?

:LOL (I think you were kidding here.) Seriously though, wouldn't it be great if some of these service businesses were more kid friendly. I wait until DH (or very occassionally someone else) can watch the girls before I get my hair cut. Seems kind of silly since my schedule can be pretty flexible and the cut doesn't take that long. But, I'm not going to torture my 3 y.o. (or possibly the other clients at the salon ) by trying to get her to "behave" in a place completely ill equiped to host her.

I wish the childcare at my gym was higher quality. The girls feel safe there - no one is ever yelled at or anything - but the workers spend their time chatting with each other while Nick Jr. is on the t.v. for the kids. My girls would appreciate more interaction (plus I think they hesitate to interupt if they want something.) We don't use it often, and we schedule time when their *favorite* worker is there.

I wish there were a tax break for SAHMing similiar to the break you get for childcare expenses if you use day care. In reality it costs me a h$ll of a lot more (loss of entire salary) than it does my former colleagues who WOH.

That's all I guess. The rest of mine relate more to homeschooling.

Oh yea, and I really liked these too:

Originally Posted by Greaseball

If more dh's had jobs that allowed time off (preferably paid) for childbirth or wife's illness.

If when I made appointments with people who come to my home to do things, they didn't assume they could just drop in anytime unnanounced since "I'm just home all day anyway."

[Elphaba]

...

[PumpkinSeeds]

What Elphaba said.

[my2girlsmama]

Originally Posted by Greaseball

A few more things I can think of:
- If more dh's had jobs that allowed time off (preferably paid) for childbirth or wife's illness
- If I lived in an area near a lot of other SAHMs
- If when I made appointments with people who come to my home to do things, they didn't assume they could just drop in anytime unnanounced since "I'm just home all day anyway."

[my2girlsmama]

Originally Posted by Elphaba

Real friends who lived nearby. I don't care if they have kids or not, work outside the home or not, what age they are. None of that would matter to me if they were the kind of people who would come by without calling and let me do the same and if they enjoyed my dd's company. I feel very isolated right now.

I hear ya mama. I get that way too.

[my2girlsmama]

Originally Posted by chalupamom

Uh...a weekly massage appointment and a standing pedicure arrangement?

(snipped)
Anyway, I guess more money would be nice. A once-weekly errand runner would be good, too, to pick up my dry cleaning, fill my gas tanks, pick up the inevitable four things I forgot at the market and so on.

: Totally agree! Why do we forget those few items? I always do this...I think I need person to follow me around when running errands to make sure I don't........

And a winning lottery ticket! I've won a free one two weeks in a row now....my own mom said that was great...I said sure....but the money would be even greater! :LOL

[TEAK's Mom]

Elphaba: YES! All of the other things would be nice, but real friends nearby who don't want me to leave the kids just to do things with them (how do you leave an 8mo who eats very few solids and has never had a bottle?) would make life 10 times better.

But, I've been emailing a local mdc mama and have a plan to teach a class in the fall, so maybe things will look up...

[T. Elena]

Hmmm . . . Let's see . . . how about three extra arms and/or two or three clones of myself and/or 10 extra hours in each day?

Seriously though, my top picks would be

1. Friends so near and so dear we could knock on one another's doors at any time during "business" hours. OR healthy, reliable, extended family very nearby (my extended family is neither healthy nor reliable nor close).

2. A culture that truly values family and children over consumerism.

[mamaofthree]

Somedays I wish I had a theraphist. There are days when the kids are outside, the baby is napping, that I seem to have too much time to think. And my thinking isn't always happy.
I would love a bit more respect... and the tax break, and more paid time off for my dh and maybe 4 more hours in a day. (LOL)

H

[sparkprincess]

I want more respect and more understanding about how hard this job can be!

I would also like more help from family especially the grandparents. I have such fond memories of spending time with my grandparents when I was a kid. Now they all have to work to save for retirement.

[SmilingChick]

If my daughter could change her own diapers...lol...but she's only 6 months.

As for respect and people understanding how hard it is...it doesn't matter to me what others think. I am doing what's right for my daughter, future children, and family. Hypothetically speaking, a financially-motivated person may lose respect for me because s/he thinks I am throwing a paycheck away...but on the other hand, I may lose respect for him/her for putting money above his/her child.

At the end of the day, I have no regrets or concerns about what outsiders think.