Being a Working Mother

After the crazy rush to get out of the house in the mornings, the scurry to leave work on time to get to your class in the evenings followed by the hurry to leave class to pick up baby from the sitter- you are already drained!

You get home, pack lunch and contemplate all the steps tomorrow will entail. You’re tired and the day hasn’t even started yet. Oh wait, you still haven’t slept today. Sigh. You put the child/ren to bed and straighten up the kitchen while you get an idea of what to prepare for breakfast after which you will find what wear tomorrow… the life of a mom is a non-stop DIY project worth a thousand points. You juggle thoughts, plans and duties daily, sacrificing and prioritizing.

Life as a working mother has never been easy. How do you survive the daily activities and remain sane? How do you balance it all? How do press on daily without constant appreciation? We spoke with a few working mothers to get their feedback on their journey. Here are their responses:

Suzette, 23

For me it’s just to understand that your child is a priority and nothing else can go above your child. Balancing is not a task… but a necessity. I don’t miss events. Day off or whatever. I love it.

Cathleen, 39

I waited until later in my life before I got pregnant. I did this because I thought with me being older and having a steady job and supportive partner, parenting would be easier. Boy was I wrong! We still had our fair share of challenges, sleepless nights and tantrums in public.

My good paying job was able to purchase material objects yes... but it couldn’t prevent my child from having embarrassing outbursts in public. My Degree in Engineering was able to land me this good paying job but then came the unpredicted late nights that I had to work.

I remember working late for about three week straight to the point where I didn’t see my child much. When I did the opportunity to return to the normal hours and went to play with her one evening, she looked at me like I was a stranger. I have never felt anything so heartbreaking.

Deserine, 40

Mi chile is mi life. Nobody nuh work hard like me. Sometime all 5:00 AM mi ah leave out and not coming back in til night. It hurt me eh nuh but that’s the only way I can continue to send him to school so him can have weh me neva have. Straight!

Deanna-kaye, 28

Siiiiiiiiggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... If only I were born into a wealthy family that spoiled me so I wouldn’t have to work. This is a very difficult balance. Trust me. I have a helper and a nanny and I do not know how I would manage without them.

I leave early but get in fairly early in the evenings. But sometimes I am so drained and in need of an outlet to offload that I am unable to invest the kind of personal one-on-one attention I need to. Because of that most of the time I spend with my children ends up being on the weekends. This is time where I put away my phone, I go on no dates and ensure that we catch up and prepare for the week ahead. Did I say it was hard?

Denise, 53

My son is a big man now but when him was younger it was hard. I used to work in Cayman and him used to stay with him grandmother and I used to bawl day in and day out. I missed his Primary and High School graduation and nuff odda likkle special things and that hurt me more than it hurt him. But mi couldn’t move.

If him was to move on the next level, mi did haffi stay. And mi did haffi continue work. Glory be to God mi see him through college and him inna good job now and ting. But mi ah tell yuh, it did rough, bad!