MumAtWork's Blog

When I was growing up I remember having blazing rows with my mother. They appeared to stem from absolutely nothing, but escalated quickly until it reached a crescendo which saw my face red with anger and my mother’s white with fury, before we both collapsed in a heap of exhausted tears. I was under no illusions that I would likely suffer the same fate with my little girl once she hit her teens...

I caught Joshua bullying a child in our estate on Saturday and suffice to say, I’m devastated. I’m horrified that my son dared treat another child in such a heartless manner and I’m heartbroken for the little boy who suffered at the hands of my own child that afternoon. What I encountered wasn’t playful jeering or a verbal spat between two children equally matched in both size and...

Last Saturday morning, I had a neighbour lean conspiratorially across the low wall which divides our front gardens and gesture I come closer for a chat. Inwardly I sighed, replaced my shopping bags in the boot and reluctantly mooched forward with a vague smile. Well, I think it was vague, but it was probably more strained than anything. There is nothing wrong with this woman per se, but she’s...

I brought my children to the zoo on Saturday and instead of marvelling at the array of wild animals almost within touching distance, I found myself mesmorised by fellow families. While obviously I encounter other families on a daily basis, these interactions are generally fleeting and ones to which I don’t offer much thought. However, last weekend saw me wander for two hours in the company of...

Myself and my husband decided to treat ourselves this past weekend. We reserved a table in our favourite (pre-kids) restaurant, we got dressed up and we organised a babysitter. Delighted with ourselves, we swung out of the house, hopped into a taxi and held hands as we anticipated out first proper date night in eight months. And then we spent three and a half hours talking about our children. We...

There are times when I have my head in the game as a mum and then there’s every single other day. While I’ve come to terms with this and accept myself for who I am, I clearly don’t expect other people to have followed suit. This is probably why I found myself apologising profusely to the mother of Joshua’s classmate when she called over unannounced late last week. In my more lucid moments...

As parents, we make judgement calls every single day. Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we get it wrong and sometimes we get it very wrong. Obviously none of us set out to screw up, but having recently reflected on one of my more ill-advised parenting choices, I do sometimes wonder. Upon being told by Grace that she felt unwell the night before her class were due to change seating groups, I...

The older my children become, the more I find myself morphing into my own mother. I obviously have no recollection of my mum when I was an infant so I couldn’t possibly comment on her parenting skills back then, but I do remember her clearly from the age of four onwards and I can safely say, the transition has occurred. That four year old girl has now become the woman who used crouch in front of...

My husband and my six-year-old daughter had a bit of a dispute last weekend. Actually, that’s a complete understatement. Grace and her dad had a screaming match. Hearing your partner’s voice boom across the house, aware that it’s aimed at your six-year-old daughter can make your heart momentarily stand still. My immediate thought was that she had put herself in danger because my partner only...

When I was a child I was utterly oblivious to the pressures felt by my parents. Like any child, I had no idea whether they felt compelled to keep up with the Joneses or felt pressurised into making decisions or purchases based on appearances. If they did, they kept it from me. Had they attempted to communicate it, I would have listened politely, nodded at the appropriate time and asked whether...