Time starvation is a real problem for many families.
Whether both mother and father are working or not, in general nowadays I think most of us agree that time these days really does go in a blink of an eye!
As many of you may know I went back to work late last year (by choice) after about seven years of being a ‘stay at home mum.’
My time out served its purpose and I found myself wanting to be busy again. With the girls turning into teenagers it felt the right move for me to start occupying myself again!
I knew I would love going to work again, but I was worried as to how guilty I would feel about sharing my self between work, being a mum and a wife.
And to my surprise I feel none of the guilt I thought I would get when I first went to work when the girls were toddlers.
Perhaps with older children, who can basically look after themselves, study by themselves and generally be by themselves, that guilt I had once felt is not warranted any more!
A new study by the University of Maryland has found that the amount of time parents spend with their children between the ages of three and 11 has almost no relationship with how the children turn out, emotionally and academically.
The science is this: whenever we are stressed, sleep-deprived, guilty and anxious, it rubs off on our children.
According to the study, being present and accessible isn’t the same as being engaged.
I know that many of us have felt the need to choose between work or home, some have not had the luxury of even having a choice.
And yes, I remember the ‘guilt gifts’ that I used to shower on my girls whenever I travelled abroad. I thought this will make them happy. But honestly it really is stupid to think that way.
Perhaps as we grow older we become more able to share or balance our time. Even though God knows how many times I have been heard saying – ‘where has the time gone?’ or ‘there just isn’t enough time!’
But the truth is that I absolutely love what I do. I love the opportunities that have arisen along my working journey and the chance it has brought in building rewarding friendships.
I also love being a mother, even if the mother I am today may not be what I imagined.
And I love the friendships that have been built through this journey.
All I can say is I count myself blessed to be able to be myself at work and be the person and the individual I need and want to be as a wife and mum.
Reem Antoon is a former GDN news editor. She can be reached on: clanmun4@gmail.com