I have been an at-home mom for 13 years. I taught at a community college before that. I've been home schooling for 7 years.
We (my kids and I) have never watched the same movie over and over again. We don't watch TV because we don't have TV. We have a television set that we use for movies. And, we have the sense to watch a movie once and return it.
We read. We garden. We play piano. We draw and paint. We cook and bake. We talk to.....adults. We participate in community activities. Son is in sports. Daughter is in music.
I don't regret leaving the work force. But, I do shudder when I think of the possibility of having to go back to work. What a bore that would be.
It's not a good idea to think in stereotypes. The "bored at-home mom" is a stereotype. It's better to think of individuals. I am an individual mom at home who loves it.
Bless you!
Actually we didn't have tv either. I cut the master antenna from the roof and cancelled cable becuase I was disgusted by what I saw. My kids must have watched the wizard of oz 200 times (and loved it each time!). I can recite the lines by heart and still cringe when I see it on tv. Also, owned & watched each disney, abbot & costello, ray harryhausen, and leucadia family films. Having no tv was definitely better for the kids. It was family movies,not broadcast tv or cable that we watched over and over and over...
However, you're right, I shouldn't generalize. But, my girlfriends who were stay at home moms all went back when their youngest was school age. They almost universally ended up in low-paying teacher aide or substitute teacher jobs. Luckily they were married and had husbands who had decent jobs with benefits. One who was widowed and one who ended up divorced had very difficult times financially.
By the way, we working moms and dads didn't shirk our community and school responsibilities. We just did them at night and on weekends. I edited and formatted the grammar school paper (at night) for 6 years and have been chairman of Christian Education (sunday school) and Finance & Stewardship (I could set the church up on Quickbooks) for 10 years. My husband coached soccer on saturday mornings. I was an assistant girl scout leader (troop met in early evening, even for daisy scouts).
I guess my point was that I wasn't "forced" to work. I always liked being financially able to support myself and my children. I've worked since I was 15 to be able to have money for clothes and recreation without asking my folks who struggled finacially. I worked through college because I knew my parents were barely able to put my sister & me (one school year apart) through school. And I got used to financial independence even after I was married.
I was blessed to have a great employer (a private,cathlic college) and be in a great field (data processing) and to work close enough to home to go home to nurse the babies, make most school functions and keep up with training and technology in my field.
Never thought I'd work at the same place long enough for the tuition remission benefit to kick in, but now my kids can go to school for free. (Ok, the first went to an EXPENSIVE private school not on the tuition exchange program, but I have hope for the other two!)
I just resent the thinking that I was "forced" to work, or that my working was secondary to a man's working. I never grew up thinking I would be supported by anyone other than myself and feel very proud of what I have done. I hope my kids will have a sense of self-worth and independence - my daughters as well as my son.