Bitter Battle of Conscience…March 2016

It felt as if, as a Mother, I was facing the toughest decision of my life, harsher than the decision to move our family 11 058 kilometres across the Indian Ocean.

Should I return to work full-time and satisfy my disposition for intellectual stimulation, BUT deprive my children of precious Parent-time?

OR…Should I stay at home and be present for every milestone, big and small – streamline my life, volunteer for Literacy Groups, Sports Carnivals, Canteen Duty…REALLY connect with the school community?

This was a hopeless decision with an unforgiving and flawed outcome…no matter what, it would feel like I had chosen the incongruous path…this was a bitter battle of conscience…

I knew that I wanted to work, possibly even needed to work, because work is interesting and challenging and part of my identity.  AND of course it would help with the mortgage!  I remember watching Dr Phil one morning, and he said that if the child is mothered by a parent who is feeling frustrated, and depressed and empty, that is not a good thing.  Working may well then make me a BETTER mother!  I could re-create myself professionally as a working parent.  I could support and cherish my children and still work!  But I couldn’t achieve this working 10 hours a day, 5 days a week – missing out on family life was not an option for me.  I had to find a way to balance Family, Money, and Leisure.

The solution…work part time, find a family friendly workplace offering flexible working hours.

I now recognise that having children was a catalyst for changing my career – what I wanted in life altered when I became a parent.  Flexibility requirements, achieving the proverbial work and family balances, remembering that balance changes with stages in your children’s lives…I was fortunate enough to find the above at More4Life Financial Services…