The working mums dilemma
Lets face it many mums return to work simply to pay the bills and maybe are in a job they hate but have no choice but to stay and stick it out. The advantage is that they may progress further in their career and have more money.
Other Mums might like to work but their circumstances make it so difficult it would not be cost effective or enjoyable anyway.
Childcare and working mums
If you are returning to work, spend time researching child care and get the best quality child care that will meet your personal circumstances.
Be fussy and thorough in your research and do not be bamboozled into accepting compromises that you feel uncomfortable with.
Make sure you also give some thought to the location and flexibility of the childcare. If your commute to work is thirty minutes and you never finish work before 5:30pm and the nursery shuts promptly at 6pm. You need to look at the practicalities of this particular nursery, or find someone who is responsible for pick ups and drop offs. Otherwise your chosen high quality childcare is going to be neutralised by you arriving home exhausted after a long day at work, followed by a stressful commute.
Babies are flexible
Babies are flexible and robust and as long as their needs are met they will be happy. One of the child’s primary needs though is a mum who is happy and contented, whether she is out at work all day, every day or a stay at home mother.
If you work full time and are worried that you are not going to see your baby much in the evening request that your baby has an afternoon nap – and schedule their bedtime for later. They will and adjust to timings which fits around your working day. However do ensure that there is a good bedtime routine when they do go to bed that you stick to.
Invest in yourself
Whatever your personal circumstances “invest” in yourself. If you are a stay at home mum, this may mean making more friends, doing a night class, or even just glamming yourself up one day a week.
For working mums, it may mean delegating more, and paying out more on help with the housework or day to day support. It may mean compromising on your short term career goals, or just taking a days leave to recharge the batteries while baby is at the childminder/ nursery, without you feeling guilty.
Remember it is quality of the relationship not quantity which will count in the end.
Life is not perfect all the time
For most of us, life is not perfect all the time. But it is by appreciating what we have, not what we haven’t got that will help us make the most of our personal and ever changing circumstances.
