May: a month where Mothers worldwide celebrate.

May is a busy month for me - Adam is turning 4, Andy & I are going on a fishing trip on the Vesak Day weekend, and also, Mother's Day is coming! 

 

What does it mean when someone describes herself as a "Full-time" mum?

A Stay-at-home-mum (SAHM) yes, but a Full-time Mum? On the contrary, is there also such a thing as a Part-time Mum?

Don't get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for women who give up their careers and cushy paychecks for the sake of family. They scrub and wash and cook and do a laundry list of things which cannot be measured by any key performance index.

First and foremost, let me describe a little about myself. I am a Mum to 2 kids, sometimes 3, and I work full-time. However, I have never considered myself to be a Part-time Mum. A Full-time-working-mum (FTWM) Yes, but a Part-time Mum, No.

A mum is a mum is a mum. Once you're signed on as a Mother, it's full-time for the rest of your life.

In our household, I'm always the last to sleep and the first to wake (besides my helper). I have to tuck my kids to bed and I have to wake up way before they do to prepare for the start of another brand new day.

I wake up several times throughout the night to make sure the blankets goes back to where they were before being kicked off. I also have to feed Ashton his milk at some rather un-Godly hours.

I work during the day while Adam is at school and while Ashton is being cared for by my MIL with the help of my maid.

I'm extremely thankful to be part of an organization which treasures its employees and promotes work-life balance. Everyone goes off on the dot without being pressurized to stay back and pretend to be hardworking.

Once I'm home, my world takes on a completely different turn. I learned that not all days are the same, some will be chaotic and out of "schedule", while others may be a walk in the park and everyone's happy.

I see that the kids are fed dinner, bathed and cleaned. I check on the kids to make sure they do not develop any change in skin condition (nappy rash / heat rash/ suspicious wounds), and that they are well and happy. I coach Adam on his worksheets.

I have to feed myself and I also have to bathe.

I have to sort out my mail and bills.

I have to keep in mind when the next appointment to the Paediatrician/ dentist/ etc for each respective child's checkup/ vaccination/ etc is.

I hardly rest at all. I can't simply "sleep when the baby sleeps" because I am working. By 10:30pm, I'm usually ready to hit the sack. If there's a way to describe my boring routine, it's something like transiting from one destination to the next and trying to keep the transition as seamless and smooth as possible but feeling like nobody really gives a shit what goes on behind the scenes.

Why doesn't my maid take care of my kids?

Well, why should she? I'm their Mummy, my maid is not. She helps out with the kids when I require but that's not her main jobscope. She takes care of the housework and keeps tabs of the perishables in the household. She makes sure our home is clean and tidy so I do not have to fret about such things and can instead, focus on my babies.

Mothering, to me anyway, has never been Part-time. Unlike my job, I cannot resign from my kids just because they are terrors and I am tempted to run away from them. I cannot call in sick to my kids anytime I feel like sleeping in late and just call it a day. I cannot "don't bring your work home" because my kids and my family are my home. They are my life.

All Mums are FULL-TIME Mums. It's universal, and we should all be united, and not pit ourselves against one another.

Happy Mother's Day to all my lovely Mummy friends and wonderful mothers out there :)

** P.S. I will be doing a write-up review of a Mothercare event we've been invited to, and am excited to share with fellow Mums out there. Stay tuned!

*** P. P. S. And in case you haven't heard of LolliBox subscription activity boxes, it's high time you check them out! Read my reviews of them HERE (Smartkids Asia expo 2013) and HERE (Adam's LolliBox craft).

 

 

Have you ordered your (limited edition) Mother's Day LolliBox yet?
I hope LolliBox makes them in Father's Day edition too!

I'm excited and can hardly wait to see Adam's reaction when he sees a parcel addressed to his name!