Cyran0 , I am sorry you are hurting so. I understand what it is like feeling like you are the last priority in your family. I have been through similar events myself. I have been stay at home mom, a working mom and a single working mom. So I have seen and felt things on both sides. I agree with everything you said, I have had days so similar, On the other hand I have been on the other side of the arguement as well.

Here is what you wife might be thinking, if she is anything like me. Being a mom means your job never stops, no breaks no vacations , 24/7 you are on. It is great to get help in that job anytime you can, but when she is low she feels she needs more , just like you felt you had no more to give.

Another huge difference between being a mom and having a regular job, for me anyway, is there are no way to show what she has accomplished for the week, no timely rewards. In a regular job, at the end of the week , you get a pay check that shows you worked all week, that you accomplished something. Depending on which job you have you can see the results of your work, such as deals closed, paperwork completed, possible incentives or awards, maybe even a pat on the back once in awhile from the boss or a coworker.

Meanwhile, back at home the laundry still needs to be done, meals cooked, toys put away, diapers changed, etc. Almost every household chore there is still needs to be done again the next day . The real results of a mom's effort doesn't come until the children are happily mature and well adjusted individuals. Sure there are milestones along the way. Mom can feel proud or happy at baby's 1st step or word, students performance on stage, graduation just to name a few, There are many more but compared to a weekly paycheck they are few and far between.

I have always felt better about myself, when working outside the home. If it were possible that I could be the bread winner of my family and hubby stayed home, I would do it in a heartbeat. Please don't misunderstand , it not that I hate motherhood. I think it is a noble sacrafice to give everything for the wellbeing of others, just that on the bad days it is hard to remember why we do it.

Please be kind all you readers out there. I do not mean to take anything away from Cyran0's post, but merely add to it , as to what might be going on on the other side. I can realate to Cryan0's day, but sometimes when you come home from a stressful day at work, and take a shower to wash away your day and begin to relax, mom has been hearing the baby cry off and on all day, she has had no private time to umwind, even bathroom breaks are usually accompanied, there is no chance to go out to lunch and leave work behind.

I know there is a lot more to this story, but I am constrained to only show part of it in this forum, I really do uderstand both sides and I prefer going to work, cause a bad day at work, to me, is still better than a bad day at home.

Linda