Child Free = Boredom

cookiedough22 · March 2014

I'm 30 years old and I've been married 5 years. My husband works 4 ten hour shifts which include Saturdays.

My SIL has commented on how "bored" I must be when my husband is working. She's made comments before as if my life is boring because I don't have children. She has had a child since before she was married so her married life has never consisted of the free time that I have.

I spend my Saturdays at hair appointments, cleaning, window shopping or reading. My free time may shorten with a child but for now I love it. I'm not bored at all!

What about you?

purple_2012 · March 2014

I sometimes have days of boredom, and I wonder how things would be if I did have a child at home. But, for now I'm fine with not having any responsibility when I get home from work other than cooking dinner.

2Swanns · March 2014

I'll be married 9 years this June and we're child-free at this point. I love living my own schedule! I love to take a Sunday and stay in bed until noon watching cooking shows. I like deciding to go out for drinks on a Thursday night at 9pm to see a blues band at the bar down the street. I like deciding on a whim to go to the Cape for an overnight or meeting my friend after work for a movie. My husband plays hockey twice a week and his games are round 10pm. He goes out with his friends, runs with a group on weekends, and works a lot right now.

I can't say our lives are boring by any means! In all honesty, I'm a little nervous about giving some of that up!

cookiedough22 · March 2014

Yep. I make dinner when I get off. Then we eat and discuss our day. Not too much going on after work.

Jags8 · March 2014

That was a weird thing for your SIL to say. I don't have any kiddos yet and I'm not bored at all. I love my husband, but he isn't my entire world. So if he is working, I am either also working, or I have my own stuff going on (pub trivia, Zumba, my dogs, etc). And when I have kids, they won't be the only thing in life I focus on either.

lifeonthehill · March 2014

I work part time week days and two night shifts a week. H works a 9-5 job. When he is gone I clean, nap, watch movies, make day trips to visit my family, go to the gym and read. I get bored sometimes but I feel like being bored because I have a lot of free time is probably a good thing now. I am sure I will miss it when kids do come along.
Unfortunately we are we are the only married couple in our small town without children. We are kind of in limbo between the two groups. We don't really fit in with the people our age here who just party three or four days a week and we don't really fit in with the parents either.

Helenahhandbasket · March 2014

Your life sounds fabulous. Really it does.

I think it will change as she gets older-- but right now my life is boring as hell. My weekend days revolve around her napping schedule and she's going through a stage where she's misbehaving a lot in most public places so we stay home a lot.

pempem · March 2014

I'm 28, married for 8+ years living in nyc. I have a 9-5 job, but my hub works like 10-9pm (sometimes midnight!).

I can feel a tiny bit bored on weekday nights, but I try to do things I like at home or see family and friends. My life as a whole is not boring at all. We go to movies, concerts, opera, dance, museums, and travel all the time. My clock has been ticking and it has made me super ambitious in seeing and doing as much as possible!

But I would rather say I feel like something is now missing. This was a sudden feeling in the past few months that hasn't subsided.

Come summer, we'll be ttc. It may sneak up on you too!!

Pepper6 · March 2014

It was important to H and I that we had some time to be married without kids, and I'm so glad we did. I was definitely not bored because we had the freedom to just do whatever we wanted whenever we wanted. Oh, we're bored on a weeknight? Let's go out for dinner and a movie! What do you feel like doing this weekend? Lets go rent jetskis at the lake! Oh, there's cheap airfare to Hawaii? Lets book a trip in 4 weeks! It was great to be able to plan only around ourselves and take the time for just us.

But we did always want kids, and after over two years of marriage, we were ready to tackle our next adventure, which is growing our family. I'm actually really excited at the things we'll get to do with our kids too, so I don't think we'll be bored then either...it'll just be different.

jaztastic · March 2014

This April will make 7yrs married child free... Im ready to be a mom, but I am very afraid of giving up my luxuries. The biggest issue I have with close friends, is them not being able to "just come out" because of their kids. I wouldnt call my life boring at all. In fact, I think I might have too much going on. and most of all, I love romantic weekend getaways with DH. We do them every other month. Children will definitely change the dynamics of our life style... hopefully we wont mind too much.

cookiedough22 · March 2014

jaztaz1 said:
This April will make 7yrs married child free... Im ready to be a mom, but I am very afraid of giving up my luxuries. The biggest issue I have with close friends, is them not being able to "just come out" because of their kids. I wouldnt call my life boring at all. In fact, I think I might have too much going on. and most of all, I love romantic weekend getaways with DH. We do them every other month. Children will definitely change the dynamics of our life style... hopefully we wont mind too much.

I'm nervous about losing that free time as well.

nopegoat · March 2014

There are very few dull moments once you have kids but I definitely wouldn't consider my life before kids as boring... just different.

Wine&Cupcakes · March 2014

2Swanns said:

I'll be married 9 years this June and we're child-free at this point. I love living my own schedule! I love to take a Sunday and stay in bed until noon watching cooking shows. I like deciding to go out for drinks on a Thursday night at 9pm to see a blues band at the bar down the street. I like deciding on a whim to go to the Cape for an overnight or meeting my friend after work for a movie. My husband plays hockey twice a week and his games are round 10pm. He goes out with his friends, runs with a group on weekends, and works a lot right now.

I can't say our lives are boring by any means! In all honesty, I'm a little nervous about giving some of that up!

Pretty much this exactly.

Not to mention how douchey I think it is to assume your life revolves around your husband. I have a little thing called a life that exists even outside of my relationship with my husband (gasp!) Sometimes, I even give up free time with him to go spend it with my girlfriends...and sometimes he does the same (double gasp!) I am a person both with and without my significant other, and I engage in all sorts of personally fulfilling pursuits that occupy my time...I hope that stays the same even when I have kids, although I can see some major lifestyle modifications.

I find the idea that life isn't fulfilling or exciting without children to be so terribly egotistical. Your SIL needs to get over herself!

Ladymouse · March 2014

I've been more bored as a mom at times than ever before (having him fall asleep on both my hands, but not deep enough to move him.) I... don't even have words for your MIL.

YohannesH · March 2014

Why let other people's thinking affect you? Maybe your SIL cannot deal with being alone, but if you keep your time doing stuff that you feel good about, then that's not an issue at all:)