Rant: Stay at home parents

[IMADreamer]

I know two stay at home parents, both claim it's the hardest work ever. Sure tell that to the guy in a coal mine somewhere. Parenting is hard for everyone. You know who it's really hard for? People who work for a living because you go to your job all day come home probably dead ass tired then you have to put up with your kids. That's got to be way harder then being a stay at home parent. I'm sorry but it just does.

You know what is even harder? Being a single parent who works, tries to make ends meet and still has to come home and raise kids. That's hard.

You know what isn't hard? Being a stay at home Dad when you married into a rich family, your wife is a doctor, and you stay home all day to take care of your one kid. BTW I saw your FB post on how you were playing Xbox at 10am and how awesome it was. Man stay at home Dad, really [expletive] hard douchebag.

BTW I don't have kids, we can't, if we did and I was asked to be a stay at home Dad I'd do it in a heartbeat. Staying home with your kids all day to be a part of their life, play with them, teach them, etc. Got to be the best job in the world.

So stay at home parents, STFU and get a real job or just enjoy the luxury, because that's what it is, of being able to be with your kids the 8 or more hours a day that normal people don't get to do.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Ima, you have no idea what you are talking about.

My wife stayed home with our 4 kids. Kids are energy suckers and its a 24 / 7 / 365 sentence. They demand attention. They NEED constant guidance and discipline to be raised correctly. They don't give a [expletive] if you are dog tired when they throw up, make a mess on the carpet because they couldn't get to the toilet in time, or keep that petty fight going with their younger sibling. They yell, they cry, they test your limits CONSTANTLY to see how much they can get away with. There is a never ending number of meals to cook, clothes to clean, rooms to pick up, dishes to wash, food to buy, places to take them to and pick them up from. Never ending. 24 / 7. Chinese water torture type of stuff. And that is just a start.

My wife's hair is grey while mine is not. I am not afraid to work and have put in my share of long hours. But I would never, ever claim I worked anywhere near as hard as my wife.

Ima, you have no idea what you are talking about. Not even close.

[IMADreamer]

There is no question that I have no idea what I'm talking about. That has been well documented all over this forum.

[pioneer98]

It's a little different raising 4 kids of different ages versus raising 1 kid who is now old enough to do a lot of things himself/herself. It all depends on the situation how hard it is to stay home. I agree with the basic sentiment that it is harder to come home after working 10-11 hours and still have to race your kids around to various activities. The people way high-up at my company where both parents work just hire nannies for this reason. They are basically paying someone else to raise their kids. They have it easier as parents because they can afford it, and because they decided their career was too important to mess with.

[ghostrunner]

The stay at home gig is much harder than my job. Housekeeper + nanny + chef + emotional and mental drain. I'm not sure coal miner (where you can die) is your go-to job if you're trying to make a fair argument here.

[heyzeus]

Yeah, I'm with Joe S on this one. My wife was home with our baby for the first 10 months. Maybe it's different once that child is older and a bit more self sufficient, but she was caring for that screaming, sleep-avoiding, pooping little bundle of joy 24/7 every day. She barely had time to eat a meal during the day. In contrast, I work hard and it's stressful sometimes, but I go to a nice quiet office and sit at a desk and by and large nobody bothers me as I look at things on a monitor for 10 hours. Comparatively, it's ridiculously easy.

[lukethedrifter]

I was both. Single dad who works a non traditional schedule so it really was a bit of both. Protip: kids don't hate bars.

[Popeye_Card]

Personally, I would rather mine coal with a pick axe for 12 hours a day than to have to change one diaper full of liquid poo.

Worst rant ever. Sorry.

[lukethedrifter]

Call me a weirdo but I have often said that I'd rather change a diaper than have to wrap presents. I [expletive] hate wrapping gifts.
/siderant

[Popeye_Card]

Call me a weirdo but I have often said that I'd rather change a diaper than have to wrap presents. I [expletive] hate wrapping gifts.
/siderant

I'm close to this viewpoint. Gifts currently hold the advantage as they typically do not smell awful.