I have always been one to vehemently champion the working mother, being one myself and all. And, up until now, everything has gone as well as it can. I have three kids and have always gone back to work through financial need and because I think I might have gone beyond bonkers with boredom if I didn’t.
I thought, as they got older, it would be easier. Not so. My youngest has just started school and (I naively presumed) with all three of them in the same school, life would be easier. Not one bloody bit. I now have three sets of pick-ups, homework, kitbags to wash, snacks to organise, reading to be heard etc. etc. We live about 30 mins from school and by the time we get home (usually around 5:30pm) we have homework, showers, supper, PJs, teeth and reading to do. That leaves about 30s for my kids to actually relax. Be kids. Play.
Bit crap, isn’t it?
And so, for the first time, I am wondering if it would be better if I was at home. I mean, it’s flippin’ manic. All of the above plus 5 lots of washing, the housework, the bills, the food planning/shopping/cooking/cajoling/clearing. We have no babysitter. This not only means no nights out but we have the impending Parents’ evenings to attend, as teachers (yes, both of us in the same school). What do we do with the kids?
Our weekends are a blur of kids’ parties (bloody ****ing things), MORE homework, chores and passing out in front of Strictly. Having made a different home-made pizza for everyone. And cleared up.
My oldest daughter is entering tweenage and squawks at how unfair it all is. My son has Aspergers and needs a lot of attention which former daughter finds unfair (surprise!). My youngest is as feisty as …. and requires taming at any opportunity lest she release the wrath of a four-year-old redhead.
It’s tiring. So, so tiring.
We are trying to do it all and scraping through, but I worry that my kids’ childhood will be gone in a whiffling breeze and when we are finally sorted and good-to-go it will be ‘Where are the kids? Oh, university!’.
Life.
Complicated, isn’t it?
4 Responses to “It’s Life, Jim….”
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It’s pretty sucky. And your post doesn’t fill me with a lot of hope for the future. I too had naively assumed that once they were both in the same school that there would be some more breathing space but I see now that perhaps I should savour this calm before the storm… We chose to suffer through poverty so I could be at home as much as possible with the children, which I am still happy I have done but the poverty is tough. Very tough.
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Know how you feel. Often ask myself if going back to work was a good thing. As from Sept we have Mum and Dad at one school (longer days, Saturday’s and longer holidays) and children at another (shorter days, shorter holidays and no Saturday’s). Interesting times ahead me thinks!!!
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I’ve been mulling over the exact same thing today Sarah and composing mental blog posts – it’s ludicrous! I am spending about 3 hours a day in the car and all the after-school clubs, admin and hormonal angst is sucking the life out of me! I would seriously recommend that people consider giving up work when their kids are older, not the other way round – I need the hours of 9-3 to recover from the shenanigans the day before!
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