Home Moms of kids of all ages - rate your DAY to DAY satisfaction and happiness...

[Miranda]

Date: 1/29/2009 10:26:12 PM
Author: Jas12
Miranda--ahh, you have sweeties. Your crest-white strips story is adorable -the nuances of real love. I can''t relate exactly as i still have just an infant--but i have many moments like that with my DH--sometimes the tiniest yet genuine exchanges are what make your day, like when you are excited to share some insignificant bit of news b/c you know that other person will actually care about hearing it and you saved it just for them.
You sound like you are doing the ''one job you really wanted'' *really* well!

Thanks so much Jas! I''m glad at least someone got what I was trying to say.

And yes, they are sweeties!

I agree with you on the never being able to stay grouchy for very long. Little ones with big grins don''t understand bad moods and help us to understand how insignificant some things are!

Also, your little guy is just gorgeous! I want to squish his cheekers!

 

[TravelingGal]

I do get that overall, we are happier. But like I said, I wonder about the day to day. Is it possible to have many days be *generally* dragging and boring (if not full out frustrating) but still be happier overall because that smile or hug makes up for it? For instance, if the entire day was just grueling, but you got a smile at the end of the day from the kid, which lifts your mood, would you quantify the ENTIRE DAY is being happier?

I''m thinking too much, aren''t I?

 

[Miranda]

You''re too deep for me Tgal!

Some days are very hard and I''m in the car going from one school to the next and then the next and one activity to the next to the next to the next and there is probably traffic and people driving like idiots and the little one saying, "I have to go potty," and high school math is too hard for me to help with...Heck, middle school math is too hard for me...And all I want is a stiff drink and a bath...Or at least a cup of coffee, but, there is no time for it...

To me, the frustrations of being a parent do not negate the positive things that happen every day. For me, I think I am so happy because my life is as I pictured it. Not only that, I''m doing it the way I imagined in a best case scenario. I guess what I''m trying to say in all of these words is that I''m meeting a goal I''ve had in my mind for a very long time...Not only meeting it, exceeding it.

Of course frustrating things happen. I try and deal with those things and make them less frustrating.

 

[snowflakeluvr]

yep, you''re thinking too much

....i have five children ages 20 to 3. overall satisfaction: 11 everyday life as a stay at home mom: boring, frustrating, isolating, fattening, mind-numbing, lonely, noisy, silly, maddening, joyful and about 1000 other adjectives but really, being a mom: priceless

i have to say that having teens is amazing. my older two(18 and 20) and away at universities are awesome kids-i LOVE having time with them. they have "turned out" well and we are very close and great companions. my 13yr old is brooding since we moved a few months ago-happiness factor with him is iffy on a minute by minute basis...

the 3 and 5 year old-happiness totally completely depends on whether this mommy got some sleep(we just moved and they still "find" me thru the night) and how many messes have been made and how many tantrums have been taken.(by them OR me)

overall, i do think the custodial care of little ones and other people CAN be quite mudane and perfunctory, but like you, i''d never have done it/do it any other way. i am blessed and privileged to be with my children so much. they are the best people i''ve ever known

ps wonder what dads feel, ya know? my dh is not nearly as hands-on as some dads, he works a great deal and is often in work mode, at least mentally. i think the kids make ME happier than they make him, do you know what i mean?

 

[puffy]

tgal you definitely put more thought into this than i did.
but yes, if i have a really bad day with B up until i put him to bed and he wraps his arms around me and gives me a nice big kiss, then the day as a whole would be a great day. hmmmm, then i guess everyday is a great day. i think for me, just to know that he knows i am his mom and to see him showing so much affection to me and to see him learn new things makes me smile and makes it all worth it.

 

[DebShine]

I have a 14-year old girl and a very mature 12-year old boy. My day-to-day on a scale to 10 is 10. Now - ask me again in three years!

 

[snlee]

Very interesting question.

I think my 4 month old is going through a growth spurt (either that or I have a fussy baby!) - he's fussy and wants to be nursed often. I'm not getting good sleep and I feel like my days are mundane but when I see that smile or hear his laugh, it lifts my mood and I'm incredibly happy. My day to day satisfaction and happiness is definitely higher than before I had my son.

I'm interested in hearing responses from moms of older children. I am scared of the teenage years!