Full Time Working Mum's - how do you do it all?

melb

i was a stay at home mum but started working again when they were 11 and 7 and would have been sooner if OH's job didn't mean he was away a lot and worked 12 hour days sometimes including weekends (interested in the job where the poster's OH worked 24 hour shifts). I don't understand the notion of it leading to "deadness of brain"? It was great spending so much time with them at home as you don't miss out on anything. You build up such an understanding as you spend so much time together just doing ordinary things as well as going to the park library etc The thought of handing over a baby at 7.30 in the morning and not seeing it again until 10 hours later? You can convince yourselves all you like that your child flourishes at nursery and makes life-longfriends and no doubt you get a bit of paper at the end of the day to tell you what your little one has achieved that you've missed. I understand that a career is very important especially one where you have studied years to achieve it. But having children means everything changes - your priorities have to change too. i can't bear the thought of a room full of babies all crying for their mums and being cared for by underpaid helpers with, quite often, no experience let alone qualifications to speak of. There - i've said it - and i know it's not very PC - but it's how i feel. Samll children aren't there to be fitted in to your daily schedule with a certain allotted to "playing before bed time" - they're there to be cherished.