I realise that tomorrow is Thanksgiving in America, and I am aware that the festival is about showing gratitude and love. Well, today I want to share my gratitude for some very special women in my life. They are my local “Mummy Friends” and I know that some of you will be reading this article. Thank you for being in my life, and thank you for keeping me mostly sane during the challenging times we face. I love you lots!

We all have challenges in our lives. Mine currently revolve around mostly boring, mundane issues such as building a business and resolving my financial difficulties. Others are more complex, involving mental health disorder, family members with long term, debilitating illness, and the chaos of having small children.

I am especially struggling with the school run at the moment. I find myself dashing out of the front door late every morning, having wrestled my 3-year-old into her pushchair because she can’t walk fast enough, shouting at my 5-year-old because she won’t listen and get her coat on, and dragging the dog out for his walk. I know that I am not alone in my struggle, and the school run is not exactly an issue in the grand scheme of things, but it is for those of us who live it every day, and experience the stress that it creates. I will not apologise for that.

To be brutally honest, my husband is mostly absent, engrossed in a job thirty miles from home, and he is unable to contribute to the school run, or even help with the children before and after school, because he works long hours and rarely sees them awake on a weekday. He does this because he feels it is the only way he can provide for his family. And I am left feeling trapped because I must arrange all the necessary childcare if I want to work on my business, or else try and fit it in around the children. Who here can manage a decent career based on a snatched hour or two during the day, when you are constantly clock watching and doing domestic chores simultaneously?

Please don’t think I am complaining. I know I have a very fortunate situation, and I am incredibly lucky to have a husband that will support me financially, a secure home, and lots of very supportive, very caring, friends. I know this. But still I feel disheartened sometimes. I feel sad. I miss my husband. I didn’t marry him and have his children for him to disappear from our lives for five days a week. Being Mummy is physically, emotionally and mentally exhausting, never mind all the other stuff I try to fit in to my life. And for this I am very grateful to have my Mummy friends. You all know what I mean. Let’s give each other a great big virtual hug… ahhh!

Did you enjoy this article? Sign up now to keep informed of new stories from SpookyMrsGreen.