SamCam giving up her job....

[DecorHate]

What do you think - letting the side down or a sensible approach?

I think it's very sensible - even without her husband having a new job she would probably have wanted to cut back for a couple of years - that's what lots of people do when they have babies.

So what about the possibility that she might have wanted to further her own career?

I find it sad that this isn't considered as a possibility.

Oh BIWI, she WILL further her own career, don't worry about that, she will find her niche, and being so young, if and when (more likely when, cos that is what always happens) she will still be young enough to capitalise on the experience she has gained.

ninah - nice work

But at this precise moment in time whose career is going to be more time consuming? She would presumably be taking time off to have her baby anyway? I made a semi serious point earlier about DC losing his job...if they look on their relationship as a partnership, then she may be taking time out just now to suit their family, and the balance may change in years to come. By keeping her hand in through reduced hours, she's keeping her options open about returning to work and furthering her own career in the future.

If she wanted to further he career, she would, surely.
Right now she's taking a breather while she has her fourth child and becomes 'first lady'. Wouldn't we all in her shoes?

She'll be working two days a week, and will be a Mum of three (was four).

I think it sounds like a lot of us, she's adapting to a larger family. She may well want a bit of time to grieve her lost boy, especially if her new baby is a boy.

She may well up her number of consultancy days when her kids are older - I did the same.

I think it's sensible - new home, new baby, new job arrangements, new family structure / security issues for childcare.

Very sensible really. I don't think she's letting the side down - far from it. And I'm not a Conservative voter

Besides, she might have a pressing Mumsnet habit....

I don't think Sarah brown was the only one on here, do you?

could be wrong here - but while "creative director" sounds like a bit of a ermm poncy (sorry only word I can think of ) job title, I think I'm correct that it actually invovles quite a lot of work so she's already proved to herself that she can make a decent career for herself.

As LS says - who wouldn't want to take a breather when they have another baby - especially with all the changes that have just happened!

Letting which 'side' down? The Tories? Or women? I understood feminism as a movement which encouraged women to make choices on their own terms? I chose to stay at home and look after my 3 children. I could have paid someone else to do it but, doing the maths, would have ended up with £13 a week with the job I left. And that's before the tube fare so actually worse off. But it wasn't the money that led my decision. Why is a woman making a decision letting the side down? Regressive attitude to suggest it.

Plus - in her unique position - security issues. Not one I had to take into account. Anyone else have to factor that in while they make their judgements?

Sensible IMO.

Who cares?

Just to make it clear btw, I wasn't referring to the previous post

Sensible.

There are security concerns, she's probably expected to do a lot of charity stuff and she's having a baby. If you were in her shoes wouldn't you?

Thumbs up from me for keeping her job part-time!

Cherie Blair was condemened for keeping up her work as a highcourt judge while the PMs wife, now some seem to be doing the same to Sam Cam for not choosing to carry on.

Women appear to be damned if they do (work) and damned if they don't. Not fair.

God, MN is bizarre at times.

We slate each other for going out to work and abandoning our children, for giving up work to stay at home, and now SamCam is being berated for going part-time upon having her 4th child?

Never mind all that - just looked at the Smythson website, and the 'ready-to-write' stationary in particular.

WTF is not-ready-to-write stationary?

Sorry, fatuous comment in serious thread about a woman's right to do what the flip she wants and can afford to do it and has her husband's support.

Ah frick, stationery

Didn't the Sainted Sarah do exactly the same thing?

Slaps wrist. Of course, that was different, because she was New Labour. Silly me.

I like Sarah B, btw, she seems like a sensible and intelligent person, even though some of the adulation here makes me feel a little queasy.

CB wasn't a High Court judge. She was (and still is) a barrister and occasionally sits as a Crown Court recorder, which is a part-time judge. She's repeatedly said she'd like to be considered as a judge but if she's applied she's not been called to the High Court yet.

I have a disabled child and then I had another child.

There are few things more emotionally tricky and yet more fantastic.

I had to give up work because of DS2s issues. Had I not then I am pretty sure I would have wanted to give up when I had DD anyway.

Hmm , let me see?
Divide my time so that my family works to suit all of us and we get to enjoy another new baby after all the sadness of the previous childs early years?
Or worry about the views of some interfering bossy types who think that they are entitled to judge how my family works?

"Letting the side down" = judgemental shit

Sorry? Letting what side down? What an awful thread and an awful question to ask - she's exercising her right to choose as she can.

She's chosen to do the best thing for her and her family at this point in time.

She feels she needs to drop something from her life as she has taken on a huge new role as it is and she no doubt wants to be as available as possible to her two little children who have recently lost a brother and are going through a huge upheaval in the their life.

And she's pregnant and would be taking time off anyway.

Well done to her. She's done (apparantly) a bloody good job in her role for the last few years and is clearly respected in the luxury goods industry.

FFS.

What a bizarre OP. Samantha Cameron can choose how to run her own life. No idea why anyone would think a pregnant woman and mother of three choosing to go part-time is a. anyone else's business or b. 'letting the side down' in any way at all.

(FWIW I've done a mixture of WOH/WAH/part-time and full-time since ds was born - never occurred to me I had to justify that to anyone outside my own family.)