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Be a Great Mum: Working mums
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by Judy Reith
All mothers work, but this is about the mums who are doing a paid job on top of being a mother. This is not about how to find the right job to combine motherhood and a career, but more about the complexities that come from doing two jobs, more like three if you have a relationship with a partner to maintain too. I have yet to meet a mum that doesn’t feel guilty about something. If you have to, or want to work, then the single best thing you can do as a mum is to sort out guilt. Feeling guilty when you’re at work about missing out on your children, or feeling guilty when you’re at home that you have unfinished business at work is hardly going to help you thrive in either area. Working mums find the blurring of home and work life is what creates the most stress and leads to guilt. Focus on the benefits to you and your family about working, and not just the financial ones. Go to work knowing you have done all you can to leave your children in safe, kind and caring hands provided by the best childcare you can find. At home, draw your boundaries so you can leave work behind, and focus on your family. Stop juggling, start living, and make the most of being a working mum.
Judy Reith. www.parentingpeople.co.uk
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