BOWING TO THE FULL-TIME WORKING MOTHER?

Part-time work; that's really tough

“How do you do it, working full-time and having three children?” I get asked this question seriously once a day. And the fact that I still find time to comb my hair and spray on a bit of perfume always earns applause.

Completely unjustified, as I know now. A month ago, I gratefully accepted the compliments. Oh yes, it all seems manageable. Now I know that it's not me, but those part-time working mothers who should be celebrated.

Because man oh man, that's a top job.

Normally, my parents take care of our family for two days, and on the other days, there's heroine Stella. When my parents are around, I hear someone coming down the stairs at half past six. My father. And when I walk into the living room, there are already sandwiches ready, candles are burning, and he has decorated each plate again. He really does that, with little flags and those pinwheels you have to blow on and so on...

“Because man oh man, that's a top job.”

I never have to clean up the breakfast mess, and I do occasionally do a load of laundry, but usually, that's all already done. On the days Stella is there, the girls have already had their baths, and my tasks are cuddling, reading aloud, and watching K3 dances (okay, you could call that a challenge).

But now suddenly myparents are out of commission for two months and I have quite a schedule. Before I leave the house, I've already done two loads of laundry, on the way to school I drop off our empty bottles and old paper, and with a bit of bad luck, I've also vacuumed the room. In the afternoon, I stand in the pouring rain on the schoolyard with Josselin, so we can look at some new layouts during lunch. Each with two children on our laps (some friends joined in) we try to do something that resembles work. Then Joss goes back to the office, and I pick up my oldest daughter with the kids’ car. After that, the journey with everyone goes to the swimming pool. Undressing two children and getting them into their swimsuits. Just a quick look in the lesson, wave, and then do something fun with the other two for half an hour. I treat them to an ice cream ‘because it's a bit of a celebration that I'm here’, but of course, those ice creams are not finished when we fish the swimmers out of the pool, so they want some too.

“First, blow-dry the hair, wring out the swimsuits, and get everything back in the car. Seatbelts fastened? What were you arguing about? Can we? To the ice cream parlor. And then drop off friend Viv at home.”

First, blow-dry the hair, wring out the swimsuits, and get everything back in the car. Seatbelts fastened? What were you arguing about? Can we? To the ice cream parlor. And then drop off friend Viv at home. Of course, I drink some tea there. Catching up with my friend. Until the dog escapes and friend F chases after it on her bike in the rain. In the meantime, I keep an eye on the girls. When the dog is finally found, we go home to cook. I brush off three collectors, try to funnel a food pyramid into my kids, and of course, I have to be on time for the Sinterklaas news.

Then bath session, reading aloud, and waiting until ‘it’ sleeps. To come home to an exploded kitchen and a full dryer that screams for an ironing session. And then typing my pieces for the next day, because that just keeps going.

Really, working full-time, I can recommend it to everyone.

P.S.: Secretly, I do love being home just as much, but high heels and good hair, I just can't manage that anymore. Forgive me.