Anyone else not “crave adult interaction”?

@porven I’m relatively introverted and wouldn’t notice a lack of adult interaction consciously, but then my husband would come home from work and I’d talk to him nonstop for 20 minutes 😋

I also missed the intellectual challenge of my work. I found myself playing a lot of puzzle games on my phone to pass the time.

I appreciated the recovery and bonding time (I was a physical and emotional wreck for weeks after each delivery), but I was ready to go back to work by the end of maternity leave.
 
@porven I don’t crave it. But I’m always surprised how much I enjoy it when I feel like… an adult and just “Me”. Someone separate.

Not that I crave it. But I do like it when I get it.
 
@porven Yes and no. I agree with the being an introvert comment that not everyone 'counts' as an interaction I 'crave'. I need a quiet day at home every weekend to recuperate.

I also wouldn't enjoy keeping house with the financial constraints one income would bring and I live in a country that has barely any sahm so providing (free) stimulation and socialisation for my 2yo would be extremely hard.

Guess I'm also firmly a working mom for other reasons.
 
@porven I feel like I could’ve written this myself! I get no satisfaction or fulfillment from my job except for the paycheck, quite honestly. My job is fine, I love my boss and my coworkers, but if I didn’t HAVE to work, I would 1000% choose to be a SAHM and pour myself into my baby, my husband, and my home. Those are the people and things that matter to me, my job is just something I have to do financially. I get enough “adult interaction” by spending time with my husband, talking with my friends, and running errands! Sometimes I feel like I really resent the fact that I have to spend 40 hours of the week devoting myself to work when, at the end of the day, the job doesn’t matter to me. 🤷🏻‍♀️
 
@porven I wish I was the kind of person who was fulfilled as a SAHM/homemaker. I'm not. I need my job not even for the adult interaction but for the structure and to feel accomplished. Taking care of my kids 24/7 just makes me feel empty inside, which in turn makes me feel insanely guilty.
 
@porven Hmm I don’t crave adult interaction in the sense that I need validation from coworkers or the need to be told I’m doing a “good job”. Most days I wake up not excited to work, but excited for the stability (money) my job provides and the role I provide for my family.

I absolutely love lounging around, doing a workout, spending time in the kitchen and playing with my baby. I am so fulfilled by the simple things.

But at the end of my maternity leave I found myself missing the structure a bit. And I like having my “own” money. The ability to not think twice if I want something for myself. My husband doesn’t care what I spend my money on but we don’t have the flexibility for me to not work.

If I was in a situation where I didn’t have to work, I think I would just find other ways to get that adult interaction. Like through volunteering or another creative outlet.

I also think that those of us who have done nothing but work or go to school our entire lives, we enjoy the new routine of chilling out with our babies. No deadlines. No bosses. No drama. Just us enjoying life. I know that isn’t everyone and that’s okay. For me, it’s a welcome disruption to being a corporate drone.

I feel like I could ramble on and on about this topic lol
 
@porven Definitely relate. I’m already a month through my maternity leave which makes me really sad. I just want to stay home with my baby, cook food, take her to parks, keep the house looking nice. I wish we could afford for me to be a homemaker, at least while our children are little.
 
@porven It could be your job or co-workers. It would be completely understandable if you felt compelled to stay with your kids, as well. If you can handle on-line classes with three children, maybe use the time at home for a career change? You might like the people and work better. Personally, I’d be too exhausted to study anything but Netflix.
 
@porven I feel this in my soul. I get some validation from work but it’s really not my thing. I would much prefer to do homemaking and volunteering.

I keep at it though. I wonder if I never found my thing and just fell into this line of work.
 
@porven I have never in my life "craved" any kind of personal interaction (except from close family or from someone I was attracted to, or eventually, my husband). I picked an industry where you basically don't ever work from home (also it wasn't really a thing when I was approaching adulthood/thinking about a career), but if I could do it all over again, I'd specifically make sure I could do something where I could be basically guaranteed to be able to have a work from home job. I also feel no "need to work" so I suppose these two things compound to make it so that I do not at all understand wanting to go to work whether it's for adult interaction or not. I guess I'm the most introverted introvert there is.
 
@porven I’ve been a SAHM to my twins for a little over a year now and I don’t miss work (I LOVED my job) I really really enjoy being home with my kids. I do like to get a break every now and then to see a friend or have a day to sleep in, but I definitely don’t miss the adult interaction on a daily basis. I like to have it on my own terms 😂
 
@porven I took time to be with my kids because we didn’t want them spending their days at daycare. Just our preference. I enjoy watching my kids grow everyday it’s rewarding and gives me joy. I also have adults I talk to. But it’s nice knowing my job is constantly recruiting so I can go back if I want 🤷🏻‍♀️ It’s not for everyone but I enjoy my life
 
@porven I go a little bit both ways I guess. But I’ve also been a SAHM for the last 2 years. I have 3 friends who live a bit of a distance so if I’m lucky I’ll see them every few months. My husband has friends around but aside from 2-3 of them most of them like to just pretend they aren’t in a house with a woman and kids and just laser focus on my husband. Not a big deal I guess. But I also don’t really make friends well even when out and about with other kids and their parents. Sometimes I miss seeing people and talking to them on the daily. And other times I’m just sick of people in general and don’t want to leave the house ever lol
 
@porven I miss staying at home keeping the house in order. I now work full time, kids have full schedules, and my house stresses me out!! I miss having time to clean the house, kids rooms, do all the laundry, and cook. My job doesn’t “fill my cup”. And I don’t believe any job would for me either. My family does that for me. My “adult time” can be filled by my husband, and friends I’ve made from moms of my kids activities.
 
@porven I was told that and guess what. When I went back to work I hated it. I hated the interaction with adults and made me miserable. I quit after two months. Everyone was like your going to miss adult interactions. Guess what? I have better time with my toddler then any adult even on the days I’m exhausted. But yes that pissed me off more when people were trying to convince me to stay at work was good for me. Nope
 
@micrx Yep- I started disliking “adult (work) interactions” way more after kids! So hard to pretend to care about work when my mind is racing thinking about everything but work.

Glad you got to step away and make the choice that made you happier!
 
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