My son is home from college so now he joins my husband and me in looking for a job. With the 3 of us looking, it is very apparent that there must be a lot more people looking for work out there. Due to the high cost of childcare, especially if you want the kind where your kids are treated the way you would treat them, I agree with you that working from home is best if you must work financially.
Your emotions are completely understandable, but your worth should not come from outside the family. Summer is hard because you can't go to the park very easily and meet other moms and kids. But do invite some of your kids' friends over with their mom. We are social creatures and need to connect with other women. The kids will entertain themselves and you can socialize. Offer to trade off babysitting with a friend or neighbor so you can go do something for yourself once in a while. But get out of the house. I think the movie theaters have cheap matinee movies (old ones) for kids in the summer. Go to the library and other indoor places with or without your kids. But most of all, enjoy your kids. Do crafts with them, go online and find some fun recipes that they would like to make, go swimming, have water balloon fights, play tag with cups of water drawn from a bucket, ask if they would like to reorganize or redecorate their rooms, ask if they have any ideas to reorganize the family room, etc. The best way to feel better about yourself is to make someone smile. The best people to make smile are your family members!
