Hello! Last week I wrote about my frustrations regarding going to work and feeling pressured to do a “proper job.” I’m not sure if it relates to my ongoing reiki practice (ok, I am sure), but I received some insights towards the end of the week that really helped with my dilemma.

One of the reasons I feel a desperate need to be a working mum is so that I can be a real feminist. But of course, that is not what being a feminist is all about. I believe that we should all have the right to choose how we live our lives, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or other. And I choose to be a stay at home mum; a housewife.

The job isn’t easy, but it has its perks. For example, on World Book Day I visited my daughters’ school and read a book to my youngest daughter and her class. She loved it, and so did I. Late last week I was able to meet with some friends for coffee while they had a day off work. That gave some of the insight I mentioned above. A couple of my friends are feeling too much pressure between their demanding jobs, and the needs of their families. There is not much left for themselves as individuals, and now they know they need to change something. I knew that I didn’t want to do any old job while my children were in nursery. If I had already established a career, it would have been different. But I hadn’t. I only became an author shortly before my eldest child was born. Before that it was just a hobby.

This weekend I had my niece over to stay with her cousins for the first time. They all played together happily, enjoyed some time in the garden between rain showers, and I could relax knowing that they were happy. My husband worked overtime all weekend, so I was basically a single parent, but that didn’t matter. Twelve months ago I would probably have fallen out with him and been angry about him abandoning me with the children. But now I recognise how fortunate I am to be in this situation, with no pressing demands on my time, and able to give my children the attention that they need. I feel that I have finally relaxed into the role of Mum, or Mummy, or Mam, or, well, you get the picture… and it only took eight years to achieve!

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