Five years ago today I switched on my laptop and wrote my very first blog post. After months of reading different blogs whilst I was on maternity leave with Tigger, I wanted to share the working mum’s point of view.
I was returning to work and I didn’t want to. I once again was placing my child in childcare so that I could work and provide that little bit of extra income. Unlike many of the blogs, I’d read and friends that I knew we would be relying on childcare. With a limited support network, it was down to Mr. Boo and me to figure out holidays and sickness.
It hasn’t been easy, some of our childcare struggles I gave blogged about but there are many more that I haven’t. A mixture of sadness and guilt as we have tried to find someone to have Roo and Tigger whilst we work or the late nights I’ve had to work in order to make up my working hours as I’ve been called away due to sickness. Tigger, unfortunately, has had the brunt of the sickness with hospital admission following chicken pox, viral induced wheezes and many, many bouts of tonsillitis. Touch wood and he looks like he is coming out the other side and hasn’t been ill this year so far.
Roo has kept us busy with her love of school and all the activities she is able to sign up to. She discovered a love of sport and whilst she may not be then next Olympian she would get a gold star for effort.
Some five years later and I should be returning to work following maternity leave with Piglet. However, this time round I’m not. I am being made redundant and whilst I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue to work the decision has been taken out if my hands. I don’t have a job to return to and I’m now looking at the next chapter of my life.
Piglet is still little and for the time being, I am happy to be able to work from home and enjoy all the amazing opportunities that Boo Roo and Tigger Too has given us. There is a pang of guilt that Roo and Tigger never had me at home whilst they were little but I am unable to change the past and have to try to not beat myself up for it.
I never thought that first blog post would lead me to where I am to today. Like other pursuits, I have taken up over the years I imagined that I would get bored and have given up by now. In many ways I wish I could go back to those early days when I would just write what I felt at the time without thinking about whether others would like it, does it contain an image, have I added all the relevant SEO bits to it etc. Maybe it’s time to write like nobody is watching (or should that be reading?) again and not worry about it all.
For now, I’m just happy to have shared my slice if the Internet with you all for the past five years, here’s to the next chapter…
Thank you xxx
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