Call all working moms

My working hrs. is from 9am - 6pm but sometimes leave earlier when my boss had to leave early too. It's good that he understands my situation that I need to be home to do some of my household chores.

I have 10 and 2 yr. old children. My day starts normally at 5am to prepare my eldest child to school (cooks breakfast,prepares the things needed to school,etc.)until the school bus picks her up at around 6am. Then I have to start preparing the things for my younger child who will be dropped to the babysitter by my husband on his way to work at 7am. It is only then that I can start cleaning up the mess (and if there is still time cooks also our food for dinner)and starts preparing myself going to work. Then my daughter cames back from school at around 4pm, she do some of her homework and take some rest while waiting for me to come and help her do the rest of the homeworks if she can't.At around 6pm, my husband will be at home with my youngest son whom he picks from the babysitter after office.

That is our routine 6 days a week coz. Friday is our only off which we usually spends outside for family bonding, at least children has still time to enjoy that's why I make it a point to finish the laundry,cleaning,ironing. etc.during Thursday afternoon. Saturday is back to work so we have to be at home little bit earlier (8-9pm) on Fridays to have a little rest.

It's tiring but at least the children are with us and most importantly we watch them grow rather than they will be left in our own country being taken cared of our relatives.

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after reading all the comments... i felt so guilty!. Me & my wife misses our 1 year & 11 months old child. Who was care and love by my wife parents and siblings. We miss her growing up. I came back to Qatar on the month that my wife gave birth to her... After 1 month & 2 weeks, my wife followed me to Qatar since her Company was always calling her to be back for work... It was a sad decision. But we have to be brave to came back for a living. Whatever we earned here, we can not get it from our country.... we are counting on the days to meet our little naughty girl... and hoping that she will not call us Auntie & Uncle... huh! it hurts.. hmmm

teepatter.....is that really appropriate?

You have a lot to be thankful for..some women are dying to be one (mother)but just can not.

at least Dubai is taking some attention for mothers there:

read---> Working mothers welcome new standards for office creches:

DUBAI // A strategy for quality childcare services in every government department was outlined yesterday – and welcomed by working mothers.

The National Childcare Standards Initiative is the latest phase of the National Corporate Child Care Project announced last year by Dubai Women’s Establishment (DWE) to push for childcare facilities in government offices. The aim is to attract and retain female staff.

...The strategy draws from systems in America, Singapore and Britain, but Mrs al Shamsi emphasised the need to instil national and cultural identity in the children.

The opportunity to have children cared for in the workplace was believed to increase both morale and productivity, she added.

“Every working mother goes through the daily worry and the guilty conscience.”

http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090317/NATIONAL/557646213/1010

My office time is 8:00 to 5:00pm. Stright sift.

One hour lunch break.

I started working 3 years before. That time my children age was 8 and 10 years.

They both managed well. They come from school at 2:45pm.

Also i trained to managed inbetween time after 2:45 to 5:15pm.

I prepare the food and kept it in the hotpot, they will serve by their own, then watch TV programmes till 4:30.

But only problem i am getting rest very less. Because after work i have to cook and sit with children for their homework etc.

you know what? kids are not burdens but our bundle of joys. I've been reading post of mothers trying to ask advise on how to take care of their kids, how to discipline, how to deal their attitudes. Frankly, there is no perfect way of raising the child nor there are best guidelines for disciplining. As a mother of 5 for 25 years, I learned the techniques by my daily interactions with my kids. For babies, they tend to cling with the nearest human contacts they can have. Their source of grasping this new world depends on the first persons that surrounds them. I hope career will not be a barrier between you and your kid. For as they grow older, you will miss the moments they started crawling,walking, climbing & running. Their childhood memories should be filled with wholesome parental attendance. I believe the motherly instinct works and it I have proven it as years go by.

"I do live by the motto that pessimists are usually right, but all the great change in history was done by optimists" -Thomas Friedman

suzan, if i remember correctly, you asked for advice before here in QL on a related matter.. believe me, you wouldn't want to miss the early stages of your child's life, hey if i had the choice, i would want to be there in every second of my child's life...

my son is 3.5 months old

I work full time from 9:00 to 6:00 five days a week and have been doing that for the past 13/14 years. My husband comes home in the afternoon when kids are back from school and then goes back again at 5:00. My kids are aged 10 and 15. I have never had a housemaid all my life. Had someone to do the cleaning once a week when kids were too small. I do the cleaning (properly) once a week Thursday evenings i.e when we eat from out. Fridays is cooking nice lunch for my family mostly with a full course meal and dinner from out (come on, I too need some rest). Saturday being my off day goes in planning for the whole week. Chopping vegetables for the week (as we do not enjoy food cooked and kept in the fridge) washing clothes, ironing, pampering myself etc. etc. In a way I enjoy this as time goes off very fast. But sometimes I do feel I need a break.

I work 7 hours a day and off at 3 a mother to a 6 year old. My husband also works.

I have a live in maid to look after my daughter. I have time to spend with my daughter as I don't have to spend my time cleaning and cooking. Although having maid is a luxury some times I feel it is burden as well.

and I am a mother of a 3 year old.My kid goes to a full time Nursery (8-5:00 PM) and I have a maid who helps me with cleaning and cooking after 5:30 PM.

But the only thing I am worried about is that my kid does not sleep in the nursery and that makes her go cranky.

Itz always better to pick up a job where u work till 1:00 PM or 2:00 P.M only.That way you can ensure that she eats and sleeps well also.

"I do live by the motto that pessimists are usually right, but all the great change in history was done by optimists" -Thomas Friedman

My daughter also goes to full time nursery, have you considered that at all?

I work full time hours but over 3 days a week and a mother to a 3 year old. My husband also works.

I have to employ someone to look after my daughter when I'm at work, she also lives in so I spend alot of time with my daughter as I don't have to spend my time cleaning etc when I'm not working. Its a luxury but at the same time a necessity because as we both work someone has to take care of my daughter.

I don't have any other choice but to work, I sponsor my husband and therefore we wouldn't be here and giving a fantastic lifestyle and education for my daughter, so not ideal, no family unit as such but thats small change for the life she has.....which she would not have if we were back in the UK!

and I am a mother.

I am employed privately, I am paid by the hour. The schools that employ me know from the start I am going to take my kids to school, I pick them up, if they are off, I am off. If my kids holidays are different to the schools that employ me tough!

If my kids are sick, I stay at home and look after them.

I have a lady that comes in once a week who cleans, the rest of the time it is me.

I am the one that does the cooking and the cleaning and the homework.

For me it is no different to being in England apart from the fact I am very lucky I can now afford to pay somebody to clean, who is lovely and then babysits.

My thoughts are my own, but I doubt my Mum would agree with some of them.