The last few weeks have been focussed on my new project and so I wanted to talk about the challenges of being a working mum! Not always a popular topic but one I thought it was worth a post on!

Before I had kids I wouldn’t say I had a career, I wasn’t motivated enough! But I did have a job I enjoyed and held a lot of responsibility. Then when my oldest two were small and I needed to make some money I qualified as a Childminder and for two years I did that. That was a great idea as it meant it fitted in with the kids and I could still be at home with them. But that was hard work!

Now that my kids are all in full time school I’ve been fortunate enough to get a contract where I work mostly school hours in term time only and only one day a week during the holiday. In a lot of ways the perfect job! But it’s interesting that having been a stay at home mum for years and then going back into the workplace the jobs at home don’t suddenly disappear! So I’ve been learning to juggle!

I’m sure fellow mum’s in the same situation have gotten a lot better at it than me! I can juggle the kids and the cooking but the cleaning generally falls by the wayside!

Becoming a mum means a life of learning to sacrifice, putting the needs of others before your own. Initially you find yourself fighting it! But I’ve learnt through experience it’s best to go with it and reap the rewards over the years, of having kids you (mostly) enjoy spending time with. Realising life will never be the idyll that movies tell you it will be.

I don’t want to have regrets when my kids are grown up. That’s why I will often choose them over other opportunities whether work or social. I’ve already had a glimpse of just how fast our time with them goes, as my oldest is now 14 and only has two more years of school before he starts thinking about college, and to be honest, even now he’s not keen to spend loads of time with me!

So as tough as parenting and work can be to juggle, my advice would be keep an eye on the time! It will fly! Enjoy your kids while they’re with you to enjoy them. Work is always going to be there, they aren’t!