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Work/ Life Balance - Article by Lucy Wesson

Hi, I’m Lucy, I have a seventeen month old little girl, called Abigail and I work as a Senior HR Recruitment Consultant at Ashley Kate HR- covering the junior to mid level appointments in the West Midlands.

Upon returning to work after maternity leave, many mothers are faced with the question, ‘how are you going to balance being a mother, with being at work?’ I know I was and I am here to give you the secret answer to this burning question……

I genuinely think it is a challenge for most Mum’s- whether first time or mother to a brood.  Has anyone mastered this yet?

It’s the art of being a, **gasp for breath** , well rounded/ strict/ laid-back/ earth mother, whilst being successful at work, having a successful marriage/ partnership, being a great daughter, replying to texts/ What’s App/ Facebook Messenger, upholding a social life and maintaining perfect eye-brows!  It’s not easy – but you’ll be pleased to know, I of course manage it all.   I AM WOMAN!  Jesting aside, I perhaps get to about half at a time, if that, but always maintaining perfect brows- I am not a savage.

Our morning routine is perfectly planned, like a well oiled machine – I say planned, often not executed as such!  However, my husband is the driving force of this military operation.  We simply call it, Operation get the toddler cleaned, hair brushed, teeth brushed, clothed, don’t forget her shoes and on time for nursery so we can get to work on time …… whilst I…..dry my hair!’ (I had a lot of hair until today!!) It’s a working title.  Can I just say, shout out to all single parents – you really are Gods amongst men.

I work part-time- Monday through Wednesday and job share with my colleague, Colin Orr (who Monday through Wednesday recruits HR Professionals for the North East and Scotland regions).  This enables me to work the majority of the working week (that being successful at work bit from earlier isn’t going to do itself) and also, spending the majority of the actual week with my daughter (heading in to ‘great mum’ territory here, I know).

For me, this is a good work/ life balance!  Perfect? Absolutely not, I think all working mothers have that pang of guilt whilst dropping their little one off at nursery and them bursting into tears as soon as you hand them over to the, patient as heck, nursery nurse.  However, not nearly as guilty as when you hand your little one over to the nursery nurse and there are no tears, not even a whimper – great, now my child has a new Mummy and I am chopped liver!!  Obviously, that isn’t the case in your child’s eyes, but what does she know, she ate a cat biscuit and thinks the colander is a hat, not the ear marks of a person, ‘in the know’.

The balance for me here, is knowing that my child is developing and having fun whilst at nursery and her knowing, (later – when she can grasp it), that her Mummy is going out to work to enable a better future for her and also because I chose to do so.  I love working and I think whatever situation I was in, I would always do it.

I thought twice about the topic of this blog as, has it been done before? Of course it has – it’s a tale as old as time.  But for me, I wanted to write something personal and I thought, if I am going through it, then other women will be too.  Now all your problems are solved, guys. #yourewelcome #helpingwomenoneblogatatime

 So, if you are one of those mothers at work battling the, ‘how do you balance work and being a mum’?  question and have the answer……be a doll and let me know 😉

 I would love to hear other Mums’ experiences- Dad’s too – I think we can sometimes forget that Dad’s also have this dilemma, especially after only two weeks’ paternity with their babies, but, that’s a topic for another blog!!

 

Lucy Wesson – HR Recruiter of Choice. I recruit HR, L&D and Training Professionals in the West Midlands.

 

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