Mummascribbles – Working Mums – Busy Working Mummy – Mummascribbles

As a working mum, some days I find it extremely difficult while on others it’s nice to be able to sit and have a hot cup of tea without having to wipe a nose or change a nappy! I know there are a heck of a lot of working mums out there, some love it, some hate it, others are somewhere in the middle. I thought it would be interesting to see exactly how others feel about being a working mum and maybe we can all learn a little something about dealing with that dreaded mummy guilt!

This week I have Kirsty from Busy Working Mummy answering all those working mummy questions.

Tell me a little bit about who is in your family
My family consists of myself and my husband of nearly 4 years, and our 1 year old little boy.  

What age were your children when you returned to work?
He was 5 months old when I returned back to work.

Did you return to a job away from the home or within the home?
I returned to an office job which required me to be office based throughout the week, and some weekends during busy times.

Did you choose to return or did your circumstances force you back?
A bit of both. Even though childcare costs a lot, it still benefited me financially going back to work full time. I also wanted to go back to work as I felt it important for me to get some independence back and little man to start nursery and interact with other children.

Did you return to work full or part time?
I returned full time but on flexible hours 8.30am – 4.30pm so I could spend a bit longer with little man in the evenings.

What childcare do you have in place and how did you go about choosing it?
Little man goes to nursery full time from 7.30am – 5pm. We have no family that live near us so that is our only option. We looked at a couple of nurseries, but his nursery was by far the nicest and friendliest and in a perfect location 15 minutes away from our house and 25 minutes on to work.

What do you find the most difficult about being a working mum?
The most difficult thing is missing out on his development and new skills. I was lucky enough to be at nursery dropping him off when he took his first steps but if I had left a few minutes earlier I wouldn’t have seen them, and that is really difficult to accept.

How do you deal with the working mummy guilt?
It is really difficult and sometimes I do feel like a bad mummy, especially when I have had to work at the weekend and get just 1 day with him in a week. I just try and spend our time doing lots of fun things, swimming, and having fun when we can.

How did you feel when it was time to go back to work?
I did feel ready to go back to work, and was excited to spend my days having adult conversations. But I was also nervous about leaving little man for so long and having to figure out a brand new routine during the week to fit everything in and get things done.

Is your work/life balance what you want it to be or would you rather work less or more?
I go through weeks where I wish I worked maybe 4 days a week to spend more time with my little man, but then I go through other weeks where I am happy with the work/life balance. As long as he is happy and healthy I am happy!

What advice would you give to a mummy heading back to work?
Don’t make yourself feel guilty for needing something back in your life that is for you. It may not be easy at the start but it does get easier. Putting little man into nursery is the best thing I could have done as well. He is so independent and such a happy little thing. It is definitely worth it and a happy mummy = a happy child!

Kirsty, thank you so much for giving us an insight into your experiences as a working mum. It is so lovely to hear the experiences of a fellow full time working mum who actually quite enjoys working full time. You sound like you have everything figured out and your little man sounds like a real well rounded happy boy. I totally agree that nursery is brilliant for them. I was lucky like you in that Zach took his first steps at the weekend. It was always my fear that he would do it when I wasn’t around. Your working hours sound like they are just perfect and your journey to work sounds fab. My commute is rubbish so I aim to one day find a job closer to home! I hope that you continue to enjoy working and being mummy although maybe one day that four day week will come a reality

Along with her blog Busy Working Mummy, you can also find Kirsty at Facebook and Twitter.