Feeling Guilty?

A think I thought today was when does mother’s guilt set in?

Is it the day you get pregnant, the day your child is born or sometime after this?

Personally for me every day is a guilt fest! The list of things I feel guilty for is endless but includes, working, using ready meals, not doing the housework as often as I should, being too tired to stay up past 10pm, Spending too much money, not spending enough time with my family  and so the list goes on.

Is it compulsory as a mother to not feel you are good enough at anything and that everything you do is not quite right? Time is of the essence and my life is now run like a military camp. We have times to do this and times to do that and if we are not on time well.............................  however, Mr D has commented that my timings are a little unusual. For example to get to work on time I have to leave the house at 07.12 exactly! Not 07.10 or 07.15. 

A recent article by Fiona Phillips in the Mirror also picked up on this theme following a study “Doing better for families”  by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development which claims that working mums are harming their children’s development.  I plead guilty to being a good mum!  

Do working mums need more guilt piled onto us? Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to give up work when they have children and not all working mums want to be stay at home mums. 

I would love to be a stay at home mum and have massive admiration for those of my friends and others who do this.  Motherhood is the most rewarding job I have ever done but I could not do it full time.  Does it make me a bad mum to admit that I enjoy working, I like being Kara not just mum, and I enjoy the break away from Miss D?  I know that Miss D is happy and secure with her childminder and probably experiencing far more than she would at home with me but actually this doesn’t stop me feeling guilty and not being sure that I am doing the right thing. Am I being selfish and putting my needs before those of Miss D or does my choice make me a better mummy when I am at home?   After all a happy mum has happy children!

Every decision I have made since being pregnant has been with the best intentions and I guess I have to live with that. 

I know I am not the only mum who feels like this which helps but it doesn’t stop you constantly questioning yourself.