in finding the "busy mum" thing ANNOYING

[Nehru]

and " the rare moment I get a minute to myself" and
" i have no time to brush my hair" ( or whatever).

Specially when it is said on here after a good hour or so of titting about!

But busy mums..ARGH

I always went to the loo in peace. Brought dc1 (age 2) and dc 2 (age x months and upwards) upstairs to the main bathroom. Shut the top stair gate. Put on the top lock of all upstairs doors. Various favourite toys out (all soft so if thrown no major harm to dc2). All pretty peaceful. Used to sit there for longer if I wanted.

Here are my shoes.

They are a size 6.5.

Feel free to walk a mile in them.

And then judge me on who you think I am.

I feel your pain Couthy. He sounds just like mine. I've taken to screwing furniture to the walls.

I'm glad that worked for you Vesta. It wouldn't have worked for me. Having done the risk assesment on that one, my DS would probably have piled all the toys up and used them to fling himself over the stairgate and down our steep, narrow staircase.

The disintegration of this thread illistrates why "busy mum" in the media/ marketing concept is so awful. Parenting is not a competition. It is not solely carried out by "mums". Being a SAHM doesn't trump a working parent or vice versa.
Being busy or otherwise doesn't make you a better person.

By holding up the busy mum stereotype the media is pepetuating a myth that it is possible and desirable to be all things to all people at all times if only we tried a little harder or bought product x. Where at the moment of conception did I sign a contract that said I would be required to be a perfect person as defined by a marketing campaign.

I dont doubt that the majority of people class themselves as busy. We just happen to be busy doing different things. It would be so dull if everyone lived the same life as me.

Agree with last post (Anifrangapani)

I'm a mum to a 2 year old. I also run my own business, I freelance outside of this, I'm a single parent and my nearest family is 3 hours away. Am I a 'busy mum'? No. I'm a busy person. I've always been a busy person and having a toddler around is neither here nor there if I'm honest.

I am rarely busy. I have plenty of time to MN, watch tv, sit and just 'be'.
If I was THAT busy , I would say no to something. Or say to Dh , I don't have time to do that because I am xxx'ing.
It is competitive parenting.
"I'm so busy working full time, setting up my own business, caring for 4 kids, entering BGT/master chef, in between PTA and parent governing, baking 250 cupcakes and crotcheting a world blanket, whilst setting up a book circle, that I haven't had time to brush my teeth?"
Yeah, rock on.

coldeythl you sound overwhelmed tbh.
The bit that pisses me off is that despite everything I have achieved in life Im just a bloody busy Mum . Is the PM a "busy Dad" no hes a fucking person and so am I .

Disclaimer - no doubt there will be cries of being a Mother is wonderful and I agree it is but I am a person, a woman first,part of me is a Mother but it is not ALL of me .

coldethyl sorry I got your name wrong !
I have so been there with just 10 minutes
Is there anything you can do to relieve the pressure a bit ? a cleaner ?

I might be the next PM coldethyl but I get your point.

Hahaha ! Im considering it

Coldethyl ,

Am so with you on the 'just ten minutes ' !

I have had the last 4 days off work . Tomorrow , I go back to work , doing a 100 mile trip each way to work , before doing one early shift , and then 6 night duties . I have 5 children , and it's half term. DH is SAHD , but he has spent all weekend taking advantage of the warm weather , and got a load of paddock work done , which means nearly all the house work falls to me . I have done 14 loads of washing , mucked out 12 stables , run DS to work 4 times , walked the dogs , painted the garden bench which was annoying the shit out of me . Washed 4 floors , and loaded the dishwasher 6 times . And referreed two actual punch ups , 4 running battles and some random slapping . None of which was dished out by a parent .

Not one of those things have I done uninterrupted . Not one . Everybody's default word is 'Mum '. I am not the fucking oracle . I may have shrieked ' I cannot cut myself into slices , I'm not a bloody cake !' today .

In a minute , I'm taking the IPad , a book , a cup of tea , a slice of cake , and possibly a bag of pop corn too , and I'm laying in the bath until I shrink .

Nehru drops a shitbomb thread guaranteed to offend.

genuinely surprised. not