u/RepairContent268

Like I have no fucking choice lol no one wants to work and plop their kid in front of a tv for 4-6 hours but in a shitty economy and country with expensive childcare it is what it is. I’m always grateful for my job bc it gives us healthcare and rent but working and watching my 20 month old is exhausting. Don’t you think if I had a choice I’d put my kid in day care or have help or something.

I just sorta hate when people say I don’t know how you do it. I do it bc my husband died and I don’t got a choice so STFU.

Or worse if they give you a look about your kid watching so much tv. As if I had him thinking it’d be this way or something. I’ve replied well it’s better for him than being homeless isn’t it?

My son is 19 months and I wfh and watch him. I go to the office (1 hour commute) 2-3 days a week. I do many chores and errands, husband helps a bit and helps watch our son too but mostly we are on our own (we work alternate days from home to watch him).

My mom was supposed to help but she died and the daycare subsidy takes forever.

By the time he goes to bed I’m SO tired. Like body hurting exhaustion. My husband is too. When he naps we take our work breaks to do chores like cook or clean.

He’s a great kid but lately I just sorta let him watch tv or wander outside in the yard bc I’m too exhausted to actually play.

My work load increased 3x what it was since I had him (I think punishment for taking maternity leave). That does a lot too.

He will go to daycare in 8 months. Does it get easier when they go to daycare? It feels like it’d be one less job to do during the work days.

I’m 40. Married, have a 7 year old, both of us work. We work a lot; 45-50 hours a week, we are always busy with work-chores-child.

The past 2 years I noticed that things are worse. Our money isn’t going as far. We no longer can save at all even with cutting back, we both are looking for better jobs but the pay is the same everywhere we interview. Both jobs stopped promoting people. We are just getting by. We cut out whatever we could. No more subscriptions no more takeout no new clothes except for our son. No vacations. No day trips. Turn the ac low to save. Eat different food to save. It’s been gradual but here we are.

Anyway. I used to daydream all the time about traveling and having a better home (less broken stuff, nicer looking). Then it went to maybe traveling to visit friends. Then it was having friends over for a party. Then it was having a nice dinner with friends.

Now I don’t daydream at all. I don’t expect good things anymore or even believe they’ll happen. It took a few years. I don’t think I’m depressed I think it’s just realism.

All of my friends are struggling. They are working 1-2 jobs to live. Can’t pay rent. One dumpster dives for food. One shits in a bucket bc their landlord won’t fix the toilet. One needs surgery but can’t get it Medicaid won’t cover her and ACA plans cost too much. She can’t move her arm anymore because the nerves are torn.

I think life just feels like it’s gonna be…. This…. Until I die at work and that’s it.

Does anyone else feel like this? I miss having hope and daydreams.

I’m really genuinely asking.
I’m 39. As a kid we either had no food (poor) or we ate the cheapest crappiest food possible. Always frozen cheap full of fat sodium. Whatever was cheap and fast.

Life was always stressful, I started working at 12 while still
In school, now I’m an adult working 60 hours a week and have a kid.

We all eat like absolute shit. Frozen pizza, my son ate animal cracker for breakfast. The reason is because I just hate cooking and I also hate healthy fresh food. Like I have to FORCE it down. So we eat terribly.

Now I’ve got high cholesterol and I’m 35 pounds overweight. Nothing is motivating? I can’t bring myself to take time to cook when I can throw Tostitos in the oven or put some nachos with American cheese in the microwave for 30 seconds and boom breakfast.

I’m not really scared of it killing me (my parents both died of heart attacks and cancer etc). I just don’t want to do it and I’ll find any reason to not do it.

How do you force yourself to eat healthy?

We prob eat fruit or veg 2-3x a month max. The rest is carbs and dairy.