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I hear you! I am a SAHM not by choice, but because of a not so nice manager and an impossible time finding day care that wasn't in the opposite direction of going to work.
At the end of the day, a happy mom is the key to a happy family, so I totally support working moms.

I could not wait to get back to work and didn't feel particularly guilty about it because I knew that I was so much happier working. Plus, I knew I had good child care for my daughter. I think that is key, though. If you don't have good child care available, then it is a lot harder to return to work and then I would probably be a SAHM.

@Andrea: I agree with you about the childcare component. If I had my mother close by, I'd have been back at work 100% for sure. I invested a lot in my education and worked for a long time, it was hard to give it up.

I am a better mother and overall happier and more pleasant person working outside the home. No question about that at all.

Dont have a child of my own yet, but like others have said I have EVERY intention of going back to work. My career is very important to me and even after being out of work for a few months I went crazy, I know its dif then when you have children, but I am just a "worker/career" sort of gal. My mother said it best that seems to "fit" this example. She owned her own bussiness, she worked very hard but always claimed that it was not the quantity but the quality of time spent with your children.

I'm going back to work after my maternity leave. Even though my current position is not something I want to stay in forever, I need to make money because we can't live on only my husband's salary and honestly, even if he made enough for us to live more than comfortably, I'd still work (although I'd probably be working for less money at my dream non-profit job). I think it's just the way I was raised by my single mother, she taught me that having my own money is really important. I've had a job ever since it was legal for me to work: since age 14.

You're definitely not alone. For me, staying at home all day is 1000 times harder than working. And when I work outside the home, I'm refreshed and refocused when I'm with my son. Some of us are wired to need something beyond motherhood to be a better mother, and there's nothing wrong with that.

@mommacommaphd: I'm a little jealous of my partner too... but I still know that I couldn't do it!

I was ready to go back after 3 weeks. My boss told me I was crazy and told me to stay out for at least 6, but I was itching for adult interaction. I love my LO, but I cherish my time away from her at work.

I agree about the part time work options. My company says that they support them, but in reality, it's the manager that has to be on board, and without them, it's not going to work. I also think that the longer you stay out of work the harder it is to go back...I find it difficult to stay current in my field at the moment.

There is no problem wanting to work and parent. Many people do it. I do it out of necessity though I would love to be a SAHM. This may be because of issues with my job. I also know women who need that time away in order to be a better mother. That is who they are. I don't think there is anything wrong either way. As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side.

I'm definitely coming back to work after the baby. I didn't grow up in an SAHM culture so to be honest, I don't really relate to that and I think I would feel pretty weird if I stayed home. I will have mat leave for 6 months, and then back to work!

I always thought I COULD be a SAHM mom but in reality, no way. No way at all. I'm on mat leave for 1 year (I live in Canada) and LO is now 4 months old and already I feel the itch to go back to work.

I do want to be a SAHM, but I can totally understand why a woman would want/need to have a career as well & there is no judgement from me for whatever choice a mom makes. wouldn't it be a boring place if we all wanted the same things?

@katdevargas: "I do want to be a SAHM, but I can totally understand why a woman would want/need to have a career as well & there is no judgement from me for whatever choice a mom makes. wouldn't it be a boring place if we all wanted the same things?"

My thoughts exactly. I am not 100% sure what I want, but I can definitely see both sides of the coin, and its silly to me to assume that all women would want it one way or the other. I would never make that assumption about anyone.