What did you do when your children were young?

[Enfys]

I went back to work part time when DS started school, DD was 8 at this time. No such thing as maternity leave then, when you left to have your baby that was it. But when the children were toddlers we had foreign student staying with us as there are lots of language schools in the town. Most of them were lovely, just the odd one or two who weren’t. We were lucky that both sets of parents were local so they all helped out with child care in the holidays etc.

When the children were older I went back to secretarial work but always worked part time so I was always home when they got home from school.

[Daisy]

Enfys - I'd forgotten about the language students - we used to have them when we lived further along the coast, and I really enjoyed it. We never earned any money though because we were always taking them out and showing them as much of the area as we could.

[Sunshine]

I was a full time mum until my children were 11 and 12 years old. Then I returned to work part time. I was lucky enough not to have to depend on childcare. There was no family nearby, and I thoroughly enjoyed the precious time I was able to spend with the children. My hubby appreciated having a meal on the table when he came home from work, and not needing to assist with the running of the home. I never considered myself a house wife. I was not married to my home. More, a director of home affairs!

[Daisy]

Sunshine - Director of Home Affairs - I can imagine you standing at the front door, waving your magic wand around as the clothes jumped into the washing machine, the children's toys hopping into the toy box and food whizzing round the kitchen to land, perfectly cooked, on your plates.

[WeeGranny]

When DD was 10 weeks old I went back to teaching full time. Very few nurseries in those days and I had a childminder. I dropped DD off on way to work and picked her up on way back.I worked full time for as long as was necessary to get my maternity pay. In days gone by, the local authority kept part of your salary back until you'd worked a certain amount of time after you'd gone back to work. It wasn't easy with a baby, a dog and a husband who was often away with work. and the nearest family some 250 miles way! But we got there! I did some supply work and then got a part time job for 2 days and DD went to an older lady who was great. I also taught English to a Pakistani lady...only Pakistani with a Scottish accent.When DS came along I again just did supply work until we were posted overseas and I volunteered at DC's school and nursery. I went back full time in this country and we were all settled and then another posting! I didn't have a working visa but did voluntary work, Meals on Wheels, teaching literacy and numeracy to adults.....and there was a lot of socialising with DH's job, so that kept me busy. I taught full time when we came back here and now I'm retired. I help at the local school now but that's about all.

[Gemini]

Busy lady WG!

Sunshine I quite agree! Housewife is never a term I would have used for myself during those years that I didn't go out to work

[Daisy]

WeeGranny, it was quite hard moving round the country at the drop of a hat because of OH’s job, but overseas postings must have entailed a much greater upheaval. I don’t envy you that.

[Mimi]

When I became pregnant I had to give up work in the dry cleaners I worked in since leaving school, the heat kept making me faint.
I went on to have three children in total and didn’t start work again until the youngest was about 6 I had to find something that would work around child care and also the fact that I had become mums carer so I worked in the evenings cleaning offices.
When mum passed away and youngest was in college I got a day job working in .... another dry cleaners! Stayed there for 14 years dispite the fact I was now dad’s carer .
When my boss sold his business I only stayed there for another year as the new boss was making life as difficult as possible for British ladies of a certain age to continue working there. The final straw was when he tried to fiddle my taxes. A trip to the tax office soon had him panicking.

[Daisy]

Mimi - you'd think that awful employer would have been grateful for such an experienced member of staff. I'm glad he didn't get away with fiddling your taxes.

[Avo]

I didn’t work after we got married. We started trying for a baby straight away and I had a miscarriage which left me quite ill, so commuting down to London where I had worked was too much for me. Eventually the little ones arrived and I carried on full time at home and never returned to work. I was always busy, helping at playgroup and then in the school. Then as the family got older doing language lessons and followed various interests for my own satisfaction.