Five Things I Like About Being a Working Mum

There is much talk in the media about the difficulties facing working mums: about the battles to to manage housework, husbands, children and achieve some level of work/life balance.

Yet as someone who began a new job 2 1/2 months ago after many years at home full-time or working part-time from home, I have found that my life is enhanced by work even though it is without doubt more challenging. While at first I found my job very stressful and the learning curve exceedingly steep, I am now finally finding my feet and gaining confidence daily.

For those who don't know, I work four days a week in a professional role for a university. My hours are currently 8 am to 3 pm, Monday to Thursday, which is a 0.7 position (full-time is 1.0).

So here they are, in no particular order:

Five things I like about being a working mum.

1. New opportunities and skills: Since I began work not only have I had to learn how to do the job, but I have also been given the opportunity to attend courses and learn new skills. I have attended a course on using the university's financial management system and another on website authoring (invaluable for a hobby-blogger). In August my boss has invited me to attend a breakfast meeting on blogging and wikis which will be of great interest to me.

2. Social contact outside of the family: This is especially important to me as I have lived in this city less than a year and didn't know many people before I began work. I am fortunate to work with a lovely group of people.

3. Money: Sordid but true. I am enjoying having a little extra money and am having no difficulty finding things to do with it.

4. The family has to pitch in more: When one is a full-time parent it is easy to take on most of the work of the house and to carry the slack for other family members. While my systems are far from perfect, I am getting better at getting others to do more around the house. I do spend most of Fridays house-cleaning, but it makes me feel more relaxed, so it's worth it.

5. I value family time more: When I was at home full-time I was often desperate to have a break from the demands of home and family. Now, although I spend approximately the same amount of time with the kids (I finish work in time to collect the younger children from school), I value their company more. Work is a wonderful break from home, but home gives me necessary respite from work.

Are you a working parent? What have you found to be the pros and cons of paid work?

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