Okay, time to be honest.
I started this blog for a few reasons: to get back into practice at writing, give myself an outlet for ideas and creativity, psych myself up to become a "real" writer, and to put together some stuff to provide a viewpoint of a mother who also works full time. Everything in the culture at the moment seems to be about women working part-time or spending their children's preschool years at home. Both options are great, but the commentary and assumptions contained in most of the written stuff I see often don't fit my life. There is seemingly NOTHING about or by women working full time and how they parent and how they cope.
I know there are plenty of women doing this. They are all just too busy to write articles!
However.
Logically knowing something and remaining positive about it are two different things.
It's all too easy to get a bit down and start believing you're in a tiny minority of women breadwinners and full-time working mothers. I know, boo hoo! I'm not carting water home from a village well, right?
Still - it can get hard.
So I wanted to try and source, and write, some stuff about and for the full-time-working mother, to put a positive and helpful slant on a lifestyle that few portray positively. I do believe there are plenty of women out there living this life who are happy with it, achieving well and simply ignoring the rubbish we sometimes see in the paper and hear from well-meaning people about work, childhood, daycare and the like.
But it has taken me a long time to reconcile myself to how I'm living, and I have not got my own balance right.
I am currently on 10 days' sick leave from work, due to stress and exhaustion. I could use longer, but this time has calmed me and I have booked a 2 week family holiday in November which will tide me over to the end of the year.
After that - new year new job new life...
Nicely said - and the balance DOES get tough sometimes. I am a working Mom too and always have been. Easy? No way, but have a learned a lot? Absolutely! We all have life stress and I like how you said ..."to put a positive and helpfull slant..." because that's awesome! We all need to look at the positive and need a little extra help or a pat on the back from time to time. Keep up the good work and thanks for a nice article!
ReplyDeleteHey, I've been there. Working full time and finding myself on stress leave, I mean. Sometimes keeping a journal (even a tiny, A6 pocket diary with one line a day) is the best way to start, or posting a photo on your blog every couple of days or so with a caption.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I've found that the more you blog, the better and easier it gets. I scored a few writing and radio gigs from the blog and eventually left my horrible day job (and even worse boss) and am now shyly calling myself a writer. Trouble is, I earn very little, so I have a husband with a day job to thank and he, in return, likes it when I procrastinate because he comes home to a clean house!
Thank you for two lovely (and helpful) comments. Has buoyed my spirits immediately!
ReplyDeleteGood writing advice too Kath, thank you. I will keep it up!