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Definitely my job. Like, it doesn't even compare! I love being home with LO so much. There are harder days but even those are easier than working out of the home.

I SAH right now and I am finding it easier than teaching high school! I also had a really long commute too so I am enjoying the break from all that driving.

My particular job isn't all that "hard", but it's much harder for me to manage being a mom and worker when I WOTH. I work in education, so I have summers off and my days with just LO to take care of are a million times more relaxed than the rest of the school year when I am working.

But also, I don't outsource any of "my" work, like cleaning the house, cooking, etc. So it's the doing both that stresses me out sometimes, not just one or the other.

Both are hard in different ways, but I enjoy the "work" of taking care of LO so much more than my old job. My job wasn't so hard but it was frustrating. So I guess, taking care of LO is more exhausting but my old job was harder.

@Adira: this is what I was thinking- wohms still have to do a zillion things for the Los, even if someone else entertains and feeds them for 8 hours. So that definitely seems hard to me!

@Foodnerd81: Yeah, the 8-9 hours I'm at work is mostly a breeze. But then those 3 hours I'm at home before I go to bed, I have to get so much stuff done and feed Xander dinner and get everything ready for the next day! And then I have to get up at 4:30 in order to get ready, feed the baby, and get to work on time. So I think the times I'm actually at home are sooooooo much harder. It makes the working day so much harder, even though the actual work of my job is easy.

HA. My job. My job far and away. I love hanging out with my daughter. There are a lot of things about parenting that are exhausting, but I have to do those things on top of having a full time job, I don't get to skip out on laundry and dinner and bed time because I have a job. And even the hard things are rewarding if they mean I get to spend time hanging out with my kid.

I really can't decide because they both have such pros and cons.
Although work is mentally more challenging, I had way more alone time. Even if I was working, I was at my desk alone. Yeah, I was busy most of the day, but it was easier to stop what I was doing and go get a coffee to destress. And I definitely had slower days, maybe once every 2 weeks when I just didn't feel like working and could leave early or just veg at my computer all day. Or coworkers stopping by to chat for a while. With my LO, there isn't a day where I can say "I just don't feel like doing this today". You have to do it every single day. And weekends are the same as weekdays. Not really a break. Especially from 0-4 months. I was miserable at home and longed for work. And it is lonely sometims.

That being said - I'm in a pretty easy stage right now. He's 7 months and sitting on his own and easier to entertain. He's still immobile so I'm not chasing him. And he still naps 4-5 hours a day. Sooooo...my life at home is pretty darn easy right now. And with weather finally (sorta maybe) getting nicer, I'm enjoying being out with him. Which is why I've decided to put off going back to work for another 6 months. And why I've decided to put off having another kid for a year

So, work is mentally harder (problem solving, deadlines, demanding coworkers and bosses, etc) but home is emotionally/physically harder. I truly cannot say definitively which I think is overall harder.

It's 10 times more rewarding for me so I feel happier doing it but caring for my kids is the hardest job I've ever had.

My current job is so easy and mind numbing, it's a problem, lol. Plus, this pregnant? All I want to do is sit. Hanging with E is more fun, though

@SweetiePie: that's totally how I feel. Yes, my job was mentally hard, but I enjoy doing things that are mentally hard so I didn't mind.

And yes to the alone time! I could just walk across the street for lunch. Or schedule a dentist appointment on my lunch break. Or run into target on my way to daycare. I never really factored that in! And now everything I do I have to do with kids. Or have DH come watch the kids for an hour on his lunch break, but then have him stay later that night.

That's why I laugh at myself for thinking I did everything SAHMd do plus work, because I had childcare!! And even if 95% of the time LO was in care, I was at work - well doing those remaining 5% of things take a lot longer now.

My previous jobs were far harder than being home with my LOs! I love being home with them and even the challenging moments are far outweighed by the good - it's busy but it doesn't feel like hard work to me.

It probably doesn't hurt that my previous professions (I had two) were extremely challenging and are known to have high burn out rates.....being home with my babies was a cakewalk after those jobs!

I've done both. Honestly, before kids I thought they were always both hard work, but staying home was a little less stressful since you were AT HOME and more comfortable and enjoying being with your kids. Then today I had the whole day with LO after working all week, and I'm more worn out now than after a day of work!

SAH is definitely harder for me.

Work- I work part time around my husband's schedule and condense the majority of it into a 14 hour day right now. Brutal with very few breaks. I don't really have a choice but to bust ass.

At home with the boys I can choose what we do and how hard we go each day. If I want a pajama day, I can pretty much do it. Being the at home parent is exhausting and I am ready for my work day, but it is definitely easier than my work.

Agree with a lot of bees, my job isn't the problem, it's the balance! A day with my boy is harder actual work but a day of work involves plenty of worry about him and then dealing with him when we're both tired!

I think it just depends what day it is! They're just different.

In general I would say hanging with my toddler is harder. My work is more mentally exhausting while DS wears me out emotionally (the tantrums) and physically but he is also a heck of a lot more fun. I work part time and if ALL I did on my home days was chill with DS it'd be awesome but staying with a kid usually involves the extra housework which is tough to achieve while entertaining him as well.

Taking care of DS is definitely harder! I deal with all kinds of crazy at work, but I can always hide out in the bathroom for a couple of minutes and lock the door. That doesn't work with DS, and besides he hasn't napped at home since he was like one That said, if I could leave my job and just take care of him, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Besides, I suspect it's harder to look after him because the job burns me out so much... I don't really know what it's like to not be constantly worn out from the commute, the deadlines, and the attempts to cram all the family time into two hours each evening.