Being Home Full Time is Boring, Tedious, and Lonely?

Being Home Full Time is Boring, Tedious, and Lonely?

Recently, a woman my age was sharing with me that women in my mother’s generation were married young, then had children and were stuck at home all day long where it was boring, tedious, and lonely. “They were pulling their hair out with boredom,” she exclaimed. Women pursuing higher education, having careers, and traveling around the world would keep them from being bored, lonely, and having a tedious life, so they thought.

I attended college for four years and went on to graduate school for another year and a half. I can tell you that a lot of that time was boring, tedious, and I was lonely. The classes and studying were especially boring and tedious. Sure, I had some great times with my friends but it sure didn’t keep me from being bored, lonely, and having a tedious life.

I was a waitress every summer while I was a teenager and then a school teacher until I had my second child. You can bet that a lot of the time spent waitressing and teaching was boring, tedious, and lonely. Every day, I was basically doing the same thing over and over again.

Let’s take traveling. Riding on planes, trains, and buses doesn’t get boring, tedious, and lonely? Staying in hotels and eating out all of the time doesn’t get boring, tedious, and lonely? No matter what we do on this earth, we will spend a lot of time doing things that are boring, tedious, and will get lonely. This isn’t our home. We can search all we want to have a thrilling and exciting life but we’ll never find it to be exactly what we want it to be.

The Apostle Paul was in a dungeon (prison) when he wrote that we are to “learn” to be content; for godliness with contentment is great gain! I was home alone for many years because I was so ill. I missed out on many holidays and vacations with my children because of it. I had to learn to be content and I did. I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!

“The secret of contentment is the realization that life is a gift, not a right. Next to faith this is the highest art – to be content with the calling in which God has placed you” (Martin Luther). God has called younger women to be keepers at home.

The “aged women” need to be teaching the younger women to learn contentment being home full time and raising their children. There will be times of becoming bored, doing tedious things, and getting lonely but it’s okay. Learn to be content. In my opinion, I had a much easier time learning to be content being home full time than I did going to college or having a career.

When I am at home, I have the privilege of beautifying my home by keeping it clean and tidy. I make delicious food with quality produce (completely unlike eating in the cafeteria at college). I can take a walk outside when I want to and read and write. There are so many opportunities to learn contentment at home! I have heard that only boring people get bored.

Learn contentment while taking care of your precious children, husband, and home. These are what the Lord has called you to do so find joy in this ministry. Remind yourself that the JOY of the Lord is your strength, not having a career and making your own money as our culture screams at us. If you are a wife/mother at home, you are blessed. Count your blessings and be thankful.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abides for ever.
1 John 2:15-17

14 thoughts on “Being Home Full Time is Boring, Tedious, and Lonely?

  1. Thank you for writing this! People act like being bored is the worst thing in the world. There is always something that needs attending to at home. I don’t run out of things to do. The breaks spent exercise walking, reading, and praying to the Lord are great blessings as well.

    I think it’s because we’re in the last days and so many are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God that people bore so easily and everything has to be entertaining or it’s boring. We have entertainment on demand now thanks to electronic devices. That makes it harder to enjoy the simple pleasures God has blessed us with for our enjoyment {beholding the awe of His creation; conversations/time spent with family/ friends, etc.}.

  2. Whether your job is boring, tedious, or lonely is your own choice. Your life is what you make it, whether that’s joyful or miserable. As for me, I choose joy.

  3. Thank you for your beautiful post. This is Very encouraging and meaningful. It is exactly what I needed to read and will continue to everyday. I am blessed to be an at home wife while my husband works in Africa. We do not have children but rather have six adorable furry babies who keep me busy. Though they are housebroken and have a doggie door, one or two continue to mass inside the house. This is frustrating but I am content regularly cleaning after them because they are so adorable when they are snuggling with me, playing, or sleeping. Though it is tedious, I try to be content with the usual house cleaning and other chores because it is so satisfying when it is all done, but especially because I am happy to have a house. where my husband works, most people do not have a home but rather live in shacks, and many do not have snuggly clean pets as we do. I admit that I still get bored and feel lonely, but I remind myself to count my blessings everyday.

  4. Thank you Lori! This is a wonderful post. Can you also write another enlightening post relating to the story of Jesus with Martha and Mary in Luke 10: 38 – 42?

    Jesus said, ” “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” Thank you!

  5. When may mother was a stay at home mom she went to lunch with her friends, visited the park, went to the gym, went to the library, took walks/bike rides to nearby neighborhoods to admire the architecture, went to museums, the zoo, nature preserves, the pool etc. Obviously us kids went in tow 99% of the time, but she wasn’t just cooped up in the house! Honestly she had a routine where some days yes, she did the laundry, cleaned, worked out, grocery shopped, ran an errand, made dinner and that was her whole day but that honestly TOOK the whole day to accomplish. She didn’t homeschool so this is a different story than for mothers that do, but she did have at least 1-2 kids home with her for the first 13 years of her marriage (she had 5 children born over 10 years). If you are feeling “stuck” inside the home, look for what free opportunities your community or nearby communities have to bring your kids.

  6. Great statement, Taylor! So true, no matter what the circumstances are we can still be joyful if we choose. This post was very encouraging, Lori. Thanks so much!

  7. thanks for writing this. when I feel discouraged, I just think of how blessed I truly am. we have had ear infections/colds this week, and being a homemaker allows us to get thru this w/less stress. we don’t have to worry about me calling in sick to work, kids having make up work for school as we homeschool. sometimes life can be overwhelming, but when we step back and count our blessings, we realize how richly God blesses when we try to obey.

  8. I cannot imagine ever being bored. Our relatives don’t live nearby so talking on the phone with them or talking to my siblings by phone, running errands, making the house clean and beautiful for when the kids get home from school and making a lovely meal for my husband when he gets home from work; meal planning ahead of time to try to save money in conjunction with looking at the grocery circulars, saving money by doing the ironing while listening to lovely music, going to the library, reading, exercising, scrapbooking (back in the day!), learning to knit so when the family was watching something I wasn’t interested in on tv, I could still sit with them and be productive, having breakfast or lunch with a friend, doing yard work and making my property beautiful; planting and caring for a garden …. these are just a FEW of the things I do each day. I don’t know how u managed when I worked because I am far busier now LOL. I try to look st every task – whether it was something I did in my career or some menial task I do now like hang laundry to dry or vacuum out the car…I do everything to the best of my ability to glorify God. That’s what I’ve tried to teach my kids, too.

    I am so glad I saw this post and found this blog. All of the comments are edifying too.

  9. I found working away from home MUCH more “boring and tedious.” Kate had an excellent post; there are so many things you can find to do with your kids, if you are bored. Many things are free! When my kids were small, we went to the library, the park, the pool (outdoor in the summer, indoor in the winter). We made errands fun! It’s a privilege to be able to be home with your children.

  10. “Lovers of self”: We love to think only from our POV, from the carnal rather than the spiritual, from the consensus of man and not [really] from the Word of God …for we don’t really believe His Word, or we would live it.

    I’m not saying this woman does not have real feelings of boredom, etc.; we are all human and have daily temptations, but we have to continuously give then to the Lord and stand on His Word. Literally but the Bible under your feet and stand on it …so you have a word picture for your future use.

    This woman is really saying ‘God’s Word does not work.’ We need to be honest with ourselves —and therefore with God— about the condition of our heart.

    “If ye abide in Me and My words abide in you….” Are we there yet? Really? Start REALLY standing on His Word –that is faith– and He has promised to deliver Himself unto you.

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