Yet another article re: why mothers should return to work

[boogiewoogie]

Just snatching a couple of minutes during a coffee break, will come back. What do you think of this?

no Ele - at that point I will just blame his genes

Oh my God. It is her fate to stick around and be Little SueJonez's grandma, that's for sure.

You don't mean the Gap one I gave you?

Anna - I didn't quite say that but thank you. I think that women often have doubts about their choices and that makes them critical of other women. However I don't think I would describe working as "not being there" for your little ones. "Not there for xx number of hours hours" maybe or "Not there all day every day". But not "not there" as if they are entirely absent. Sorry to be so pedantic but I think it does make a difference.

Speaking of which, DS has more pairs of jeans than any one I know. You are welcome to some 12-18 month ones when he outgrows them. (but you might have to promise to pass them on to MrsRecycle when you are finished)

SunnyJim - I never ate candy floss or fish and chips as a child and I certainly don't want to eat them today. My daughter eats what we eat, and I cook from scratch or we go out to Lebanese or Japanese or for pizza.

No she doesn't have plastic toys, except a few baby dolls. I do have lots of toys and furniture from my childhood that she plays with but they are all wooden or metal. I like the look and feel much better than plastic.

my nursery has a fantastic heuristic area anna. you'd love it.

"not being there"

I have worked with plenty of women who don't see their small children from Sunday evening through to Saturday morning, week in week out. It happens a lot among higher earners. Not saying it's always like that.

It's a wonder the DSs know who I am, actually, given that I work four days a week.

And of course, I can't possibly be bfeeding still.

Oh, hang on, no, I am still bfeeding DS2 at 14m and the DSs know perfectly well who I am, but also have lovely bonds with their grandparents and DH who look after them while I work.

Eleusis - am happy to bundle them up for MrsR - then she can pass them on to foxie.

Would you be even more impressed with my cancer riddled mother story if I tell you the day that we (I went with her) were told about the caqncer being terminal was the day my final IVF failed - not one of my better days!

bizzydint - I'm sure. But I'm in France... you know, the country where children learn one letter a week - 26 weeks to learn the alphabet FGS - all at the same pace...

Sue

Anna - I thought you probably meant something like that. I was just clarifying things. You wrote "you are right" but then used a phrase I didn't and wouldn't use. That's all.

What does "heuristic" mean?

We KNOW you are in France... blah blah blah

OMG no fish and chips or candy floss - no wonder you're in France, you've been banned from the UK haven't you - g'wan admit it.

As a percentage, I wonder how many mothers don't see their children from Sunday evening to Saturday morning? I suspect a similar number to SAHM who don;t let their children out of their site ever. BUt neither case is exactly representative of the majority is it?

Do you think we should do a straw poll?

eleusis - you don't have to shout, I was responding to someone else who might need that clarification (since I have been accused about not being clear about it)

oh dear ... is this still rumbling on .... - heuristic is play with everyday objects - they have it at my DS's "institution" - things like rubber gloves, wooden spoons all that sort of stuff - DS loves it!!

(nkf;\hfdafehafhafhvzve809 - glad you asked that)

suejonez - among the type of professional women that Xenia thinks we should all be, and that I was and that yellowrose was before having children - a large percentage. I knew mothers with webcams at home in order to see their children move during the week.

I think it's somewhat disingenuous to talk about what a wonderful SAHM you are when your child goes away for a week at a time and you have a superb income, actually.

ooh fantastic - so when I let DS empty all the kitchen cupboards and play with the contents on the floor becasue it keeps him quiet, it is actaully heuristic play. Excellent.

why?

more money = more opportunities in general...

yeah - they just give it a posh name LOL!!! DS's favourite toy at the mo' is an empty tissue box ...

and me before I had a child, but again they're not exactly representative are they.