A working mama

Last week one of my colleagues told me how 'brilliant' I was to be in full time education, work a part time job, work my own writing business, and raise 3 littles. I don't say that to big myself up or feed my ego, I say it because it's simply not the case.

The truth is, I'm not brilliant at all. It's survival. I HAVE to work two jobs to pay the bills and give the littles the treats they deserve. I HAVE to complete education to eventually get a higher paid job in a field I'm passionate about. And I HAVE to be a responsible mama and bring up my children. 

However, to those who think I'm keeping the plates spinning without a struggle, I'm going to go right ahead and burst that bubble. It's hard. Constantly hard.

I get up, get three minis dressed and fed, then I drive them to breakfast club, and make the 45 minute drive to college. I spend 5 hours taking in information about biochemistry, doing assessments and taking presentations, then I drive 45 minutes home, stop at the shop to get something for dinner, pick up the girls from their grandparents, drive home. Then I fix dinner, do laundry and take them to their individual hobby groups. I pick them back up and bath them and then spend around an hour blow drying three heads of blonde hair. I tuck them into bed, head downstairs to do dishes and then settle down to do writing for clients, homework and essays. I'll take a bath and then fall into bed around midnight. One good thing is that I usually sleep pretty well!

But even when those little babies are away from me and with their daddy, my role as main caregiver doesn't stop in that I have to still keep house, do laundry, reply to play date requests, rsvp to parties and pay for extra curricular activities.

However, in trying my best to do all of these things, something has to give. My house has muddles, my car is a mess and my ironing pile could rival Mount Everest. So no, working mums aren't brilliant, perfect or anything in between,they are just motivated by fierce love to survive against the odds so that the littles in their care can flourish and have someone to look up to. In a world where role models in the media starve themselves, party hard and bend to fit the mould, a mama as a role model needs to be two things: loving and dependable.

So if you happen to see my parked car and wonder why there are Diet Coke cans, Cheerios and kid paraphinalia strewn all over the interior, it might be because some mornings are harder than others. Sometimes my little ladies eat breakfast en route, and sometimes mama needs extra caffeine to kick start the day. Someday I'll get it valeted, but until then, that 'mess' just proves we are still surviving!