Am I the only person who thinks that, as a mother of four,Ruth Kelly has chosen the easier option by going out to work? That's not to denigrate her at all - I work full time myself -I just think it's worth pointing out that it's much harder to stay at home with four children than it is to work.
I have a friend who is a SAHM to four children aged between 6 months and seven. Her day starts at five, after a broken night's sleep (Bet Ruth Kelly has a night nurse but more of that later)and then goes at full pelt until eight in the evening. The first moment of head space she gets is when she slumps into a chair, zombified, at eight o clock when - if she's lucky - she'll get an hour to herself before falling asleep in the chair. During her day she is constantly dealing with demands on her time, demands on her breasts(!) and an endless round of mind numbingly boring chores. Of course there are rewarding moments but there's no doubt that she is doing an EXHAUSTING job, for no renumeration at all. (And there are no glowing articles in the paper wondering how on earth she manages it)
Ruth Kelly's day? Lets give her the benefit of the doubt and imagine that she, too, gets up in the night and has a hideosuly early start. Even if that's the case she gets to leave all that behind when she leaves for work at 8 or probably even earlier. She'll probably have a nice uninterrupted cup of coffee (Or three) brought to her by her nice, respectful P.A. She will then have a day of intellecutal stimulation and adult conversation. That, coupled with acres of caffeine, is far more likely to wake someone up than a day with the children at your feet. (Do mothers ever get a chance to finish a cup of coffee? )
RK might then have to take someone for lunch in a nice Westminster restaurant (on expenses, of course) and then spend the afternoon catching up on her paperwork or whatever. (No sticky hands or screaming children at her feet)Then she will come home and spend an hour or so with her children before bedtime. She might bath them or read them a story.
In short, Ruth has just tapped into the man's game. She has realised, like so many of us, that combining a well paid job that you enjoy with children is not hard compared to the thankless task that is full time motherhood. Now, where did I put that cappuccino....