One of the main perks of being a working parent is the cherished opportunity to talk to other adults about things other than teething and infant sleeping patterns. I call this “water cooler conversation.” This morning’s water cooler conversation, so called because it took place next to an actual water cooler-albeit one that is not…
Month: May 2016
Single Women: Bitter and Lonely?
Miss Havisham has a lot to answer for. Ever since the 1860s-and probably before-the stereotype of an unmarried woman of a certain age has been one of pity, scorn and the assumption of a certain type of jealous bitterness. How this relates to my son having a tantrum may at present be unclear. However, as anyone…
The Lonely Life of a Blogger
Alone she sits, in her immaculate office, the bright sunlight reflecting off the glossy white surfaces. She is a professional writer, tapping out little snippets of wisdom to share with a waiting world. Her home is her office, and she has become used to switching off all distractions and retreating into her own world, the…
Going to a Blogger Conference?
If there is one picture that sums up my experience with blogging conferences so far, let it be this one. That’s what blogging conferences are for, right? An opportunity to revisit one’s pre-motherhood wardrobe, designer stilts included. After all, there be no baby in the vicinity. If you are looking for tips on attending a blogging…
I Am Not A Strict Parent.
Before having my son, I didn’t give much thought to what kind of parent I wanted to be. However, there was one thing I knew for certain. I was going to be Strict. Nine years of being a secondary school teacher, and observing countless children-and therefore the long-term consequences of the actions of countless parents-and I…
High Heels: Aren’t We Good Enough As We Are?
I am five feet one inches tall. On a good day. On a day when I am stretching and standing on the tippiest of tippy toes, like we all used to in primary school when trying to prove we were taller than a similarly-sized friend and therefore obviously much more mature, serious and commanding of…
The Return to Work After Maternity Leave
The return to work. The setting of the alarm for the crack of dawn, the reminder of all the tasks you left unfinished before you left, the return of the Sunday night feeling of dread as the credits to Countryfile are rolling and you realise you haven’t even planned what you’re supposed to be doing…
The Up and Down Life of A Working Mother
In the toilets at work there is an unforgiving mirror. It is in this mirror that I see the cold, hard evidence that life is starting to take its toll. I sometimes use it to pull out that evidence-the grey hairs I seem to have suddenly acquired-when no one else is around. Being a working…
Motherhood: The Best Job in the World
“I’m not interested in other people’s boring lives!” my mother exclaims, as she turns from the computer screen where she has just been comparing interest rates on MoneySupermarket.com. It is Saturday afternoon, and Mother is making her feelings clear on the small matter of blogging, which she considers to be marginally less interesting than comparing…
Why I Am Happy To Be A Single Mother
What do you think of when you hear the words “single mother”? A harassed, overworked and underpaid divorced woman trying to raise her kids with negligible support from her ex-partner? A young woman barely existing on welfare, shunned by society as a drain on resources? Or a contented and fulfilled professional woman? “I CHOOSE my…