Anyone else not “crave adult interaction”?

[hmbridges1981]

@katrina2017 Yes!! I don’t want human interaction. I don’t crave a break from my child. I’m a working mom for the paycheck and nothing else.

 

[kronos51]

@porven I fucking hate work. It’s not because I haven’t found my dream job- I just hate labor.

 

[hawkeyeonme]

@kronos51 Anything I enjoy that gets turned into an income loses a lot of the joy.

 

[msapp88]

@kronos51 Same!!! I am a physical therapist and my day consists of 10-12 people a day telling me how much pain they are in. Don’t get me wrong it’s really fulfilling when I am able to help people but it can be both physically and mentally exhausting day in and day out.

 

[srfrazee]

@porven I never missed "adult interaction", most adults I talk to at work, grocery store, etc I could definitely do without.
But I was happy to be back at work to have the agency to decide how I want to tackle problems and use my abilities in increasingly difficult challenges. So, "professional achievement" to a degree is irreplaceable for me.

 

[timothythe2nd]

@srfrazee Well said!

 

[giftedmikki]

@porven I relate to this - I don’t hate my job, but if money wasn’t an issue I wouldn’t be working. I would love to plan my days around my kids instead of me planning around my job.

 

[nstott]

@giftedmikki Yep, same. It always sucks when they're having a crappy morning and instead of taking time to cuddle and just let them feel how they feel, I'm rushing them out the door so I'm not late for work.

 

[cwriter15]

@porven I mostly crave silence and nobody touching me. That’s honestly enough for me to want to keep working, career benefits and achievements aside.

 

[counterview]

@porven I definitely missed the satisfaction and stimulation of work but I absolutely did not miss adult interaction. That's the worst part of work lol

 

[ioriyk]

@porven I took 12 months of parental leave after having my daughter everyone told me I would be going crazy and ready to come back to work after 4 months. They said I would miss adult interaction. This was 100% not true. It was completely not ready to go back even after the full 12 months.

I felt completely fulfilled taking care of my family, cooking, cleaning, etc.

 

[katrina2017]

@ioriyk 12 months leave is a dream! Good for you!

 

[tiyashrivasthav]

@ioriyk Similar for me. I had around 9 months and I dreaded going back. Which I never would have guessed before having kids. Now back at work about 4 months after having my second, I am again dreading work days.

 

[katrina2017]

@porven That’s me. I would happily be a homebody and have no desire for a career.

 

[jesusloves91352]

@porven I could have written this word for word. I am also on my third maternity leave and sincerely feeling so fulfilled spending 100% of my time on my family.

It's not even that I hate work or dread going back, although that is a recent change. For the first time in my career, I work with a wonderful team and am in a great position of growth. I am actually friends with several coworkers outside of work! But I will always wish that this moment in life was permanent.

My role at home is what fills my cup and makes me love life. It's nice to know that others feel the same because needing adult interaction or a role outside of home just isn't it for me. I've found it difficult to connect with others in this space.

 

[porven]

@jesusloves91352 Woah wanna know what’s crazy? I could have written the parts you wrote about your current role! Same exact thing for me— for the first time, I LOVE my team and am in an ideal role. But I’m still feeling all of this.

We’re not alone!

 

[jesusloves91352]

@porven Isn't it incredible to have an amazing team and an ideal role? Literally spent years in toxic work environments while I looked and hoped for something like this. I'm so happy we both have something great to return to! That takes away a lot of the sting of going back to work. It's much easier to reconcile needing to be a working mom when you're happy in your role.

Still, it's validating to know that happiness at work isn't the compelling reason for wanting to stay home. I dreaded going back to work after my first two children, to the point of being seriously depressed and feeling my chest tighten with anxiety at the mere thought of leave ending. It would have made sense if the toxicity of those former roles were the reason I wanted to stay home so desperately. Such a difference this time around! While I would choose to be a SAHM if it were in the cards financially, I am soaking in every day of leave without that dark cloud of sadness hanging over me. I am so thankful for this time to focus fully on my family and home.

 

[bethel8]

@porven I relate to this 100%. The interaction I have with my colleagues isn’t blowing me away, I mean at the end of the day it’s either work-related conversations (meh) or small talk (ughhh).

I get a lot more satisfaction and happiness out of interaction with my 10 month old.

I’m also a person who loves to get things done, I love a good to-do list to tackle, processes, everything being well executed. But I don’t need to necessarily be doing this in a company or professional context. I feel just as proud and accomplished doing this in a home context: batch-cooking a week’s worth of healthy meals and homemade purées, my home looking nice, putting together family photo albums, all laundry being done… etc. If anything I feel more pride and joy in that sometimes because it directly impacts my quality of life.

Somehow the home and childcare tasks are looked down on and get zero recognition (though they add a TON of value), meanwhile if I spend 30 minutes on a somewhat decent powerpoint at work and creating a bunch of charts I’m getting corporate awards lmao.

 

[porven]

@bethel8 Yes this explains it so well!! I just love getting things DONE and done well. I’d prefer my effort went toward my own home/family as opposed to some project at work

 

[krugerdina]

@porven I 100% get more satisfaction from domestic life/duties than anything at work. I have been lucky enough to work my current contract with people I really like and get along with, but my heart is at home.