So working mums (part time or otherwise), how do you cope with the guilt?

[charmkin]

?

i don't feel guilty .

Message withdrawn

What guilt?

i just consider the alternative.

no guilt here. are you feeling guilty yourself?

What guilt?

I feel guilty about many child-related things but not about working part-time at all.

Never felt guilty.

Just the constant feeling that you should be somewhere else
ie
work - should be at home
home - shoudl be at work

But that's not guilt surely? That's just having too much to do. I do relate to that, feeling you're doing neither as well as you could

What guilt?

i don't think everyone gets that constant feeling though. when i'm at work i'm enjoying my job, when i'm at home i'm enjoying being with dd.

never felt guilty.
Why should I?

What guilt??? Working keeps me sane and I love what I do

No guilt at all

Although I do miss ds when I am at work

I work 3 hours less than full time. I work from the office 4 days a week and from home 1 day a week. I do wish I could reduce my hours so that I am not rushing round like a mad woman all the time - but if I did reduce my hours - we could not afford our lovely home in a lovely location. Which means the children would have to go to schools in an area I really wouldn't want them to be in. So I work for them - to ensure they get a good education at the local school. They are happy well rounded individuals who adore their parents - so as far as I am concerned we have made the right decisions. Every minute I am not working - is spent with DC's - we go out every weekend - i run the to clubs in the week and stay with them - I do loads of arts and crafts and games and role play at home - so I don't beleive they are missing out on anything. I do home work with them - pick DS up from school 3 days a week and take him 1 day a week. DD is in preschool - so I take her 1 day a week. DH works shifts so when he is not a work he looks after DD - so they get sepcial time to. So I don't fell guitly - they are not suffering and don't miss out. I feel we have a good set up.

Yup - stress and guilt are two different things. I might get stressed at having too much to do, I might not even like my job particualry (although it has imporved dramatically since I got a new boss), but I don't feel guilty about working!

I might want to drop from full time to 4 or even 3.5 days a week when dh starts earning again - although that extra time would be time for me - which I might on occasion use to spend extra time with ds (difficult now that he is at school) - and no I don't feel guilty about that!

I don't feel guilt.
Really I don't.
I work part time and it is great. I love it and ds 'appears' to love nursery. Now, maybe I am damaging ds. I have thought about it.
But, guilt I do not actually feel.

I don't feel guilt

I feel pulled in several directions and at the bottom of the sodding list and if one more person wants something from me I will scream

but no guilt

No guilt here either Why should we feel guilty?
Do fathers feel guilty for working to support their families?

I feel regret that I have to work, but not guilt.
I 'cope' with the regret and the stress due to the lack of hours in the day by sublimating it until I veer towards depression - frankly - and by dreaming of ways to reduce my hours without losing the income and threatening our mortgage...

On 'good' days I cope with it by gritting my teeth and refusing to let myself think about wanting to be at home when I am work...I rarely want to be a work when I am at home (oddly!!)

Nope, no guilt here either. Have bent over backwards to fit my work in as best as possible, work 3 days 9.00 to 4.30, and won't give up my professional career for the 15 years or so that children are young