Working mothers produce higher-achieving daughters and more domestically useful sons. Hallelujah.
Did you have to cut short the Mother’s Day breakfast at school because you had to get to work on time?
Did you miss the note about the family history project that was due in last Thursday? Or did you have to skip the class morning tea so you could make that management meeting?
Do you, like me, live in a constant juggle of well if I go to the assembly then I can skip the museum trip and hopefully my kids won’t notice?
I DID go to the swimming carnival so hopefully he won’t mind if I DON’T go to the athletics one?
“Sure I will try my hardest to be there. I’ll see you tonight to finish that book. I promise.”
A virtual spreadsheet in your mind. Time put in, time missed out. Hopefully equalling a balanced child.
Hopefully.
It’s the classic working mother’s guilt so many of us suffer from.
You worry whether you have put your career first, whether you can afford the child care fees, whether you are giving enough of yourself, whether you are letting down the kids, whether you are letting down your employer or clients. You worry that you never see your partner anymore. You worry that you are doing the wrong thing by your kids.
You just plain old f*cking worry about everything.
Well finally, FINALLY there is a study for us. FINALLY a study showing that having a working mother can have economic, educational and social benefits for kids.
Top Comments
Maybe I'm just a terrible mother but I don't feel guilty for going back to work at all. I spent almost 4 years as a SAHM, now I work casually 2-3 shifts a week. My DD goes to Kindy (at a long day care centre), spends time with her auntie and cousin and more time with her daddy. I get to earn money, be with adults, feel like I'm making a difference in people's lives (I work in aged care), and we have a little extra money. A win-win for everyone. I still get to spend lots of time with my daughter and now have a way to support us if it's ever necessary.
My mum was a sahm. Her mum was/is very career focused working parent. My mum was critical of her mother for being a working mum (she used to bring work home and rarely spent time with the kids i.e. she didn't have the work/parent balance)
So I grew up thinking being a SAHM was the best thing. I never had clear career plans so didn't end up finding my career before I had kids...I had just rediscovered my love of IT and also discovered that my doctors were wrong about my infertility.
So, I'm compromising and studying at home during their early years with the goal of getting back into the workforce by the time they are school aged.
I always thought I'd be a SAHM like my mum...but I am finding myself craving a working life as well.