| Congratulations, you have started your own business, | | | | more with the idea that I should have been able to |
| and it's going rather well. Going SO WELL in fact, that | | | | entertain him ceaselessly, see to his every need and |
| you need to dedicate more time to it. What if that little | | | | still close that multi million dollar deal. Isn't that what |
| bit of extra, uninterrupted time, could mean a BIG | | | | every mother does? Here I was, feeling like I was a |
| difference to your income? Of course uninterrupted | | | | failure simply because I could not do it all, all the time, |
| time is the thing that we all know and miss as work at | | | | twenty-four hours a day. |
| home moms, in fact it is darn near a thing of the past | | | | Until I realized just how ridiculous that sounded. At what |
| in most households where there are young children. | | | | point did I decide that I HAD to be this perfect person, |
| What if just having a few extra hours a week of | | | | who did everything? It really dawned on me how silly it |
| uninterrupted time was all you needed to really break | | | | was, when I was packing his little back-pack to go to |
| into the next gear, finish that awesome high paying | | | | the playgroup again and he saw what I was doing, and |
| assignment or project? | | | | he started clapping his little hands together and |
| The fact is, that at some point you may need to | | | | shouting, "Yay, Yay, Yay!!" I realised that the person |
| consider a hiring someone for a few hours of help so | | | | who ran the playgroup, had chosen this as a career. |
| that you can complete your major project or | | | | She chose it because she loved children. |
| assignment. | | | | She chose to spend her time with 5 little youngsters |
| Some of us are blessed with extended families that | | | | and make their day as fun, as entertaining, as |
| are only to happy to take our children into their homes | | | | educational, and as routine as possible. Her absolute |
| and their busy schedules, for a morning a week, or an | | | | mission was to make sure that the kids were looked |
| afternoon here or there. However, there will be that | | | | after as well as if she were their real mother, ha ha, |
| one situation where you absolutely HAVE to get things | | | | their well rested, imaginative, |
| done, your deadline is looming faster than a sprinter on | | | | never-runs-out-of-patience mother, who also closes |
| steroids, and murphy's law, that will be the one day, | | | | multi million dollar deals. Hah. |
| that all your family are busy, or out of town, or ill. | | | | Being a mother is something I chose, but reality insists |
| It *will* happen. You know it will, it has happened | | | | that I also earn an income. My chosen form of income |
| before. So what do you do? What about those of you | | | | bringing activity is graphic design and photography. It is |
| who don't have extended family nearby, or even in the | | | | not child care. Though some aspects of childcare |
| same country? What do *you* do? Sooner or later | | | | come naturally to mothers, I must admit, that I am |
| you may need the help of a qualified nanny, baby-sitter, | | | | absolutely terrible at thinking up fun and games all the |
| or if you're really lucky an au-pair. | | | | time, and certainly not when I'm trying to finish that |
| Moms are notorious suckers for punishment, and many | | | | huge project that demands so much of my attention. |
| are taken aback, or even offended at the idea of | | | | So in the same way that I take my child to the doctor |
| having to hire someone. What? We're not perfect? | | | | when they are sick, I also choose to take them to a |
| Who says? Hello? We are all HUMAN. (Ok, as women | | | | childcare expert when I need time to do what I am |
| we know we're really super human, but still, we're not | | | | good at, and that which allows my children the lifestyle |
| perfect). Why not hire someone, who's job it is to care | | | | that they enjoy, and some months it is the only reason |
| for and entertain your kids for a few hours? | | | | that the food on the table is there at all. |
| I learned a valuable lesson from my youngest son, | | | | So if you find yourself in the position where you are |
| when I made the difficult, heart wrenching decision to | | | | needing childcare, I implore you, do not feel like a failure, |
| let him go to a playgroup for a few hours for the first | | | | think of your strengths and the many advantages that |
| time. | | | | YOU and your strengths bring your family, then make |
| I was torn apart.Less at the idea of letting him go, but | | | | your decision. |