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I was raised by a single mother and although I know that she had to work to support us, it would have been nice to have her around more. We had a babysitter prior to being school-aged and once we were in school, we were latchkey kids after school and during the summers when we weren't in camp.

I also see the difference between my younger brothers and my sister and I--my mom worked 2 jobs while my brothers were younger and my sister and I took care of them. They had mom around less than we did and not having both their mom and dad around has done a number on them.

My mom was tired a lot. We did have family dinner on the weekends but that really didn't cut it.

Not really. There were definitely times when we would be sad or frustrated that mom got called to work for an emergency case but we understood early on that mom worked to save people's lives and she had to go help sick people and their families. Knowing that she was helping me helped us to be less selfish about the times she had to be gone.

My dad was home a good deal because he runs his own business mostly out of a shop in their backyard so even when he was working we could run out and see him. He always came inside at 12:00 for lunch and was always home in the morning and bedtime, even during his busiest times.

No-- like I said in another thread, my mom was home with us all the way up until the youngest went to college. I feel like my dad missed a lot though-- he often didn't get home until we were in bed. It wasn't that I missed him, since we saw him on the weekends and stuff, but now that we are thinking of having kids soon, I wouldn't want H to miss out on so much.

@mrsjazz: I know and the grass is always greener - right? lol! My Mom wasn't home all the time just to watch me, she's always hated leaving the house (still does). So by the time I would get home from school she would be starved for attention and interaction. It was really suffocating! I love her but I think that's one of the main reasons I now live far away..

Sometimes I wished my Mom was a SAHM, mostly when we had field trips. I always wanted her to be a chaperone. But she was always there when we needed her. My Dad commuted quite a ways, so it was harder for him to come to our events. Overall though, I think they did a fantastic job balancing work and kids.

My Dad would be away on business for the majority of the year so I missed him a lot when I was younger. Eventually, I didn't mind and looked forward to his trips away!

Yes, I used to get jealous of my friend's SAHM who could coem to the school and do lunch and all that stuff. I know she worked hard to provide for our family but I know she regrets not spending as much time with us as she would have liked. I plan to learn from her and put in my hours and leave work at work so I can enjoy my kids growing up.