Working mums making it work

I'm lucky that I get to sit on both sides of the fence that I am both stay at home mum and working mum.   That's probably quite rare to hear said I imagine as not a lot of people would say they were lucky to work I'm sure.  For me though, I find work as my son finds anything new, an endless source of fascination and stimulation.  I wouldn't say I love my job but I am interested in the field I work in.  

As a stay at home mum of sorts I see other stay at home mums all of the time, juggling life with more than one child or enjoying the company of their child(ren).  I often wonder what my son will be like when he is older, will he want to chat with me, would he be embarrassed to be seen with me from a young age etc especially when I see the mum's who have great relationships with their children getting on well, no tantrum in sight.  I travel on buses a lot with my son so we get to see a lot of mother/child interaction.  There is a particular mum I see a lot who carries books with her and reads with her son.  He seems to be around 15ish months old and loves how animated she gets.  There is always loads of infectious giggling and contentment at the time his mum is spending on him.  

On the flip side, I also see a lot of working mums when I am on my way to work.  Mums all suited and booted with their children scooting alongside them or holding their hands skipping up the road.  My husband and I are those people, well dressed workers wheeling their son to nursery while we go out and earn a crust.  Unfortunately, I have no heartwarming story about a suited woman/man and their child as I have seen none.  That is not to say that professionals don't spend time with their child and bond with them but it's not so public.  I can only speak for us but I imagine they have places to be and people to see so they can rush back home and spend more time with their child creating heartwarming moments in the privacy of their own homes. 

Despite saying it at the start, I don't actively think of myself as a stay at home mum and honestly now that I am back at work I can't imagine being one full time.  I love my son, but I have realised I also love being mentally stimulated by something completely different in my day.  I have found that I have more patience and energy for my son despite actually getting less sleep.  My son is at that age where he has started to become extremely active and wants to walk everywhere despite not being able to walk without assistance.  This is great exercise but exhausting 5 days a week (my husband takes the weekends) so I don't know how stay at home mums do it.  

Working mums in this sense really applies to all mums.  We've all got things to juggle but we're all making it work and we all deserve a round of applause.  It's a beautiful thing we're doing day in and day out, nurturing and growing another human no matter whether we do it full time or not.