so i never really talk about work here, for privacy reasons, and because i don’t think it’s professional of me to do so and i’m not about to start talking about it. but i do want to talk about being a working mum and i’ll probably start blogging about it a bit more.
now and then i see news articles or tv segments about “what’s best for baby” and often it’s “mum stay at home with the baby”. in a perfect world, would i have loved to had done that? of course. but reality is, like so many other women out there, i didn’t have paid maternity leave and i had to return to work very early on in my children’s lives. with Jasper, i went back full time when he was 5 weeks old. with Jovie, we managed to arrange it so i went back when she was 11 weeks old.
the question is – do i regret it? and after thinking about it for years/months now, i’ve promised myself that anything that has to do with my kids, i will not regret for one second. we’re so bombarded by the media, our parents, our friends, ourselves – to think a certain way or to react a certain way because that’s “what you’re supposed to do” and then face wave after wave of “you’re a bad mum if…”. instead, i want to spend my time enjoying my life and not put myself into the naughty corner because i didn’t spend 18 hours with them today. yes in the beginning it was very hard (to the point of losing it completely) but then i felt i could go one of two ways – get pouty and make day to day life miserable – or embrace it and make everyday awesome whether i’m at work that day or not. i want my kids to know that every day i gave my best, not just for them but for myself too.
i don’t post this as another one of those annoying “working mums vs stay at home mums” rants – i honestly think whatever you choose to do is your own business, just don’t let anyone make you feel like you should regret it in any way. own it and love it and just smile at the people that tell you “but how come you didn’t…” because alternate realities belong on the sci-fi channel, not in my home 😉
are you a working mum? did you find it hard to adjust to your new life with kids and a job?
