As a working mom, the toughest thing I face is not the criticisms and reactions of colleagues and bosses at work, but the face of my daughter that I see in the side view mirror every morning before we drive off to work.
For me, becoming a working mom was not even a conscious choice. It was something that simply developed out of habit. After all, before I got married, I was already working so it just seemed a natural progression of things for me to continue on after giving birth.
Lately though, I have to struggle and force myself to move to the door every morning when we say goodbye to the kids. Looking at their woebegone expressions, especially in our eldest' eyes who is starting to comprehend the way things work, is completely heartbreaking.
I have to keep on reminding myself that there is another reason why I must work, so that I can, together with my husband, support our family and have the funds to give our children the kind of future every loving parents want -- secure, well balanced and happy.
I have to remind myself that there are other opportunities for me to spend with them, but when work claims the weekends, I feel a clutch in my heart. Because in my heart and mind, weekends are for my babies, and it is as much as I can do it - a non-negotiable thing.
There are a lot of advantages to becoming a working mom. But when I go home and realize that my daughter's Kukuk has progressed to "Chicken", I often wish I could have stayed home and see it happen.
