Working mums unite, we can do it all! Can we? Yes we can, urgh or No we cannot, or does it depend? As I am not a working mum well its really hard for me to say, however I have a take and an opinion on it as you never know maybe I will be; a working mum. Maybe I will be a stay at home mum, or rather working full time as a mum. Why am I discussing this, well I was reading an article in Maddison (thanks Anne, getting my Aussie magazine fix, because a weekly Grazia, Look and Heat is just not enough) about working Mums and it spurred me into thinking.
Mums it seems go back to work for the social interaction that it gives and the fact that their brains get a work out beyond nappy changing, burping, baby food and the Wiggles. However going back work wise is going to definitely be easier depending on the job you are doing. The article interviews three mums and one of those Tracey Spicer (Sky News) definitely has it easier then the average accountant/lawyer/company manager and 9-5 mum. Her day enables her to work at home for one whilst baby is entertained by the Wiggles. Hummm, really. Then day 2 she has a lunch meeting again baby in tow...oh yeah. Straight away to me its a bit biased, the average mum simply cannot do that in her job. Feeling the pressure.
I know one such average Mum and she does work from home one day a week for convenience, and her little girl gets trotted out to childcare, because otherwise she would get nothing done as her daughter would constantly demand her time and attention. When she is in the office she works hard to do her role while she is there, but is exhausted to have to run home at 5pm on the dot each day, she doesn't have the luxury of putting in extra time (which she did prior to being a mum without a second thought), to be there to be seen.
It certainly doesn't help with the boys club ideal of being at work till 6-7pm even though they probably could do their work in less time and too leave on the dot at 5pm, but they do have that option of staying later and looking like they are working harder. This simply adds pressure to those mums too.
http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/mum_in_profile.html
Look at the article above, out of 23 mums in question only 2 of them have real jobs (ie not celebrity mums), like you and me and well most of the planet. Even then those 2 are CEO's of their own companies and most likely have the ability to delegate effectively where required along with dictating their own hours. Don't get me wrong, I am not dissing these women, they are doing a great job, its just not the norm.
Its articles and interviews like this with the Celebrity type mums saying you can do it all is just not fair for real working mums and puts so much pressure on "normal job" mums. They have a different lifestyle and they will have it easier until we can dictate our hours and ensure flexible family working.
I am not even a mum yet, but the pressure is there and I can only imagine what it will be like. I do like the ability to stay late at work when I need to get in a deadline, but what about when I won't be able to do that? What will I feel like. I know I should feel like I have done enough and now its time to go home to what is important and that is the family. I know it will be busy and hectic juggling both, but I know I will do both as well as i can and be ok with the fact that if something has to suffer it will be my job.
Women are most critical of themselves and well I know its a good thing to have such high standards and aim for them but at what cost? I don't want to compare myself to a celebrity mum as I will have a breakdown of sorts, I already try to do everything and more, and I will still want to do all of that and more again when I have children! Oh dear, but I know now, it will be ok if I cannot.
So if your a mum and your reading this, its ok to be exhausted, its ok to be thinking I cannot do this and its ok to do your best, you don't have to be super mum and don't even try, it will give you bags and wrinkles, thus will hinder your yummy mummy status. I am not a mum yet, but when I am, I will heed (maybe eat) my own written words here - guaranteed.
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