As my "Yes You Can - Again" hopes have been fulfilled with the election of President Obama, it's time to divert some positive hoping into myself and my own ambitions.
Yesterday's newspaper (Sueddeutsche) had a great article on how working mothers are more burned out than previous generations, because expectations to master multiple roles have risen tremendously, but reality and society have not adjusted to create a supportive framework for women. Women continue to do most of the work in the household and child care, on top of trying to get ahead with their careers. But what about those of us who would like to be burned out not only from one end (family), but also from the other (work)?
During the past months, I have felt like a caged tiger, frustrated with my situation with (lack of) work, feeling weighed down by household tasks. My feelings have ranged somewhere between worthlessness and hopelessness. After deciding that we will soon move to a more favorable work environment, I have felt less anxious. And having started on a bit of project work again (for the German development agency), I today feel happier than in months. Furthermore, I am preparing for an interview for next week.
The reality of being a working mom is tough. One has a severely restricted amount of hours to do one's work, and one never knows which of the kids will fall ill and when. There's dressing, shopping, cooking, playing, putting to sleep - and back to sleep, etc.
But the amount of self-worth, energy and motivation that having a "job" gives - the amount of counter-balance to this "job called parenting" - is indescribable.
Yes I can! (A day at a time, and hopefully for many days to come still).
And yes, there's always enough time to blog. :)
So well put! Unlike this new post by a Hesari columnist who herself went into the negative rant of 'stay at home moms are lazy bums'. I can't believe how black and white the debate is for the most part. I think every woman deserves a fantastic job, a forum for social influence, inspiring colleagues, fair wages, AND a stress free family life. Honestly it MUST be possible and if not it has to be made so! The extra burden of tedious housework has to be equalized between spouses. Strangely though I feel fine with housework now when I'm at home whereas when working I find it the biggest waste of my time. Now I let my boys help me out and occasionally it's even fun. Go figure.
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