Wow, what a great thread! (Really nice writing, too, btw.)


I have always felt like the "odd mom out" because I have similar feelings. Like others have said, I don't know that I hate parenting per se but rather I hate some of the things that come along with it:

• I hate that it feels like I'm in it alone, especially being a single mom.
• I hate cooking but as a parent I don't have much choice, it has to be done.
• I hate being so exhausted at the end of an especially hard day at work, kids were in trouble at school, there's dinner to make, homework to do, bills to pay and I still have to make lunches for tomorrow when all I want to do is crash on the couch.
• I hate that my boss gives me attitude when I have to stay home with a sick kid.
• I hate that my kids had an unfair start in life with their bio-mother and that I have to clean up her "mess" by dealing with their resulting behavior and emotional problems.
• I hate that my kids' shoes cost just as much as my own shoes when they're only half the size.
• I hate the fact that my own mother is so strung out on drugs and alcohol she can't be a real grandma to my kids.
• I hate that I have no one to help care for my kids unless I pay them.
• I hate it when schools close even though there's only an inch of snow on the ground.
• I hate it when I make mistakes as a parent and it feels like I could be damaging my kid for life.
• I hate that I have to drag my kids out of bed at 7am every weekday.
• I hate that when I really need to sleep in on Saturday, my kids wake up at 7am.

OK, I really need to balance this by making another list about all the things I love about parenting. Right? It just feels so negative otherwise, doesn't it? There's that societal parental guilt again.