For me I think the stress is less about the kids and more about being at home ten hours a day. I'm still recovering from my cancer treatments and even though I'd like to pretend that I'm healed I get exhausted just putting my hair up into a ponytail. So getting everybody dressed and ready to do fun things outside of the house is beyond tiring and we don't do it as often as I'd like.
The hardest part about staying home for me is our three dogs. I love them, I really love them, but they are total assholes. They get into everything. If I leave a kitchen gate open they sneak in and eat a loaf of bread and the box of cereal I left on the counter or shred a bag of flour and yes, that did happen recently.
When I let them outside to play the neighbor dogs attempt to fight through the fence and my guys constantly end up with splintered bleeding faces from trying to eat the fence to get at the yippers. By 3PM Sam and Dylan have reached their antagonizing witching hour in which Sam acts like a total crybaby and Dylan takes advantage of his bad mood by chasing him around the house until we are all ready to snap. I can't invite people over because my dogs are so unruly that entertaining company is no longer enjoyable for me. And then there is the constant barking.
Today Sam got into the trash and ripped up two diapers.
We rescued our dogs and like I said, I love them so giving them up for adoption will never be in our cards. They are our family. But man. I wish they could just take it easy on me for a few days so I can find peace in this house if only for a few hours.
Just let me go to work for once while you stay home and deal with our insane brood.