[RoundHere]

Kelly! Thank you for welcoming me.

I am 33, married, and have a VERY busy 20 month old son. I quit a job that I LOVED to stay home with my son full-time, but even after 20 months, I still suffer from some depression. This change in my life has been very hard. I have good days and bad days. I have had a hard time finding myself since I quit my job. Just being a "mom" doesn't seem to fulfill my life, and I feel so guilty about that. I love my family with all my heart and I want to be with my son, but I feel lonely most of the time. I am busy and involved in my local MOMS Club, but I still feel something is missing since I no longer have a career. I have a Master's in Education and love to use my brain. I miss intelligent conversation with adults.

Anyhow, I won't cry and longer.....b/c in the grand scheme of things, I am very lucky to be here and to have my son and husband. I try to keep that in mind when I have bad days.

[tamiloo]

Kelly, Welcome to NT. You have chosen the right place to find some very caring folks to talk to and just hang out! I hope you cruise around and make yourself at home!

[Kitty]

Hi Kelly and welcome to NeuroTalk from another Kelly!!

I'm so glad you decided to join us here. I remember when my sons were that little - and it was a full-time job to keep up with them. Not sure I could do it now (I'm 47). But...it doesn't last forever.

Maybe once your son is a little older and begins preschool you can think about getting back into the work force. I can relate to you wanting adult conversation and interaction. I vividly remember watching Sesame Street with my boys one day and they decided to go play in their room....well, I sat there and continued to watch this show all by myself!!! When I realized it I was so embarrassed....good thing only the cat was keeping me company!!

We have a forum for depression....here's the link:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum37.html

There are plenty of very helpful and friendly people here and we're very glad to have you join us!

[DM]

Hello Kelly and Welcome to NeuroTalk. It's nice to meet you. I agree w/what ''our'' Kelly said. I had to quit my job due to my health a couple of yrs ago, and even though I knew it was the right thing to do; I miss the friends and adult interaction on a daily basis.

Hope you'll take a look around and make yourself at home here. Glad you found us.

[Idealist]

It's really nice to meet you! I'm glad you found your way to our forums, which, BTW, are full of very nice and very helpful people. Everybody wants to help, and to be friendly.

I'm sorry to hear about your depression. Please don't forget that depression is an illness just like all the other illnesses you'll find on these boards. I do kind of understand how you must feel about not being able to work. I used to own my own auto repair shop, where I had worked for 18 years, but then a sudden illness stole it away from me. When you can't do what you love, or feel useful and fulfilled, it really does pull you down. I hope that you will consider visiting our depression forum, and joining in with the talks there. I've been trying to get more people involved in that forum for a long time now. I really believe that being able to talk with people who truly understand the nuances of depression is very helpful, and can be fulfilling in its own way.

Anyway, welcome again. I hope I see you around here in the future! Good luck and best wishes, Kelly.

[Koala77]

Hello Kelly, and welcome to NeuroTalk from me as well.

Unfortunately I'm another who recently retired from a career that I loved due to health reasons, but I've found solace in the friendships that I've made here on the board and I truly hope that you do too.

Please feel free to stroll around the site, and do ask if there's anything we can help you with.

[SandyC]

Hi Kelly and welcome to NT. I stayed home to care for my boys for four years before I went back into the working world. Have you thought about tutoring? You could do that from home and still feel like your helping someone in your field?

[AfterMyNap]

Hi, Kelly! Welcome to NeuroTalk!

In addition to the forums suggested by the others, our parent site, PsychCentral has a wealth of good information that may be helpful to you. I did a quick search and found several discussions that might be of interest.

Take a look:
http://forums.psychcentral.com/dosearch.php

I hope you'll find some answers soon, that little bun is going to get big really fast and you deserve to enjoy his youth!

[momXseven]