I wouldn't call it selfish. If you can afford it, and you feel comfortable doing it then it's up to you and your partner.
I couldn't do it, even though there are days I really wish the fairy godmother would whisk away my 2 in order for me to get back a tiny piece of my sanity! But then I would want them back in 5 minutes!
My eldest does home care one day a week and started that in March this year, so she was 3.5 + years old. I did this as I want her to be well prepared for being away from us ready for kindy next year. She absolutely loves it and asks to go to 'MARY'S' house nearly every day!
My youngest will probably do the same.
I think some parents really need some me time, sometimes I need it but I'm lucky enough to have a hubby on shift, therefore he works all different days of the week and has them off also. If he wasn't helpful or took care of the girls, I would need to put them both in care at least once a fortnight in order to have a break, as the youngest hasn't been a bed of roses!
The comment of one of the posters - something like 'you are home already, how much more of a break do you need' (I know, not exactly those words, but something along the means of that) rubbed me up the wrong way. Although my girls are in perfect health, by the end of the day I breathe a big sigh of relief when they are in bed, only to know that the bub will be up about 5 times over the next 8 hours. That the eldest has been running around outside, coloured in, read books, watched a movie, payed with her toys and helped cook in the kitchen still for there to be a few hours left to drive me bonkers with 'Mum, what I can do' about 50 thousand times! That I cant move any more than 1 metre away from the bub without her screaming.
It's not easy in EVERY mothers house, it's not a bed of roses for every SAHM, just remember that. We love our kids to bits, but we also have to remember to look after the one who looks after them.
Again, I wouldn't do it, but then there a a lot of things that I wouldn't do that other mothers do, but thats just me.
[Edited on 24/06/2008]
DD1 July 2004 DD2 August 2007 DS September 2009