“I tip-toe out of the house every morning when our daughter is asleep and feel sad that I’m not there when she wakes up” The first interview of the new year is with Bridget Farrell, who is married to Ray, and lives in Tullamore. They both work outside the home
A good friend told me last week that she’s changing jobs – moving from a chilled-out project role back into the mayhem of daily operations. This is the reverse of what she wanted when going back to work after her second baby was born three years ago – in fact for
Over the last few weeks, one friend announced her first pregnancy, one finished work to go on her first maternity leave, and one is counting down towards her first return to work. All three are going through a mix of nervousness and excitement, but unsurprisingly, for the friend who is
Childcare booked – check. Return to work date agreed – check. Sense of calm and wellbeing? Not quite there yet. Going back to work after maternity leave is a time of mixed emotions for many mothers – for some it’s a worry, for some, it’s exciting. And for most, it’s
Amid the strong support for the feelings expressed in Donna Hartnett’s open letter to Enda Kenny, there has also been some “tough luck, you can’t have it all” type responses (on Twitter, and some referenced here) I don’t think that’s the point at all – I don’t think anyone expects to
“I’ll be in the middle of writing a feature, trying to meet a deadline, but thinking, “I should really put a wash on, or do the dishes” Freelance journalist Jennifer Riddall moved to Ireland last year from the North West of England and is currently in the process of returning
“When I went back to work after having the twins I found that venture capital and looking after twin girls were not compatible!” This week, I hear from mother of three Anna Frankland, as she explains how she transitioned from working in venture capital in Sydney to setting up her
So Facebook and Apple are paying for female employees to freeze their eggs, to enable them to continue working for longer before having children, according to NBC news this week. It’s billed as the latest in a series of benefits provided by the corporate giants, as part of what’s termed a
Since starting Office Mum, I’ve been fortunate to get to know some really inspiring women who work in the area of helping mothers to balance careers with family. They’ve very kindly joined forces to contribute to this post, in order to give you some of their top tips for juggling
“Ireland is better than the US but not as good as Scandinavia,” I said to the public policy student who was sitting beside me, “I’d say we fall somewhere in the middle.” We were at “Families and Work: A Chance for Change“, a seminar organised by Start Strong, the National
Babysitting. Something about which I have vivid memories; a teenage part-time-job. And now it’s come full circle, as what seems like five minutes later, I’m all grown-up and paying a teenager to mind my kids. Having had three childminders (counting the runaway one) and about forty different creche minders (high turnover), I
“Recently I was asked how I can say ‘no’ to work (which as a freelancer can be scary). My mantra is ‘every time I say yes to doing additional work, it means I’m saying no to being with the boys’. It makes the decision much easier” Originally from Scotland, Tracy
“There were mothers I met along the way that quite candidly said on a Monday morning ‘Thank God the weekend is over, I can’t wait to get back to work’ and there were others who lived for the weekends neither is right or wrong” This week I meet Aisling
“Two of the main things that keep people in a situation where they are less than happy are lack of confidence and that fear of change that holds many people back” This week I talk to Dearbhalla Baviera, a mum of four, who has transitioned from a full-time role as
“I hate the housework with a passion but I would say the worst thing is the tiredness. I am sick of talking about how tired I am… I can’t say there is any point in the week where I wouldn’t take a nap if it was offered to me” This
Are we a child-friendly society – do we embrace children and their parents in all areas of 21st century Ireland? Or do we corral them into suitable times and places, conveniently out of the path of mainstream everyday life? Fiona Carey thinks we have a way to go. When the Bray-based
“Me, who had always had a title – Travel Agent, Teacher, PRO – now found myself with the title of Housewife? And I wasn’t going to call myself that for a minute. Only because it is a very stupid title – I never married a house” Back after the holidays,
Can a working mother be as good at her job after maternity leave? That’s the question – a Telegraph article headline – that caught my eye yesterday. The writer, UK journalist Antonia Hoyle, goes on to say: “Post-children I am distracted, indecisive and less confident. I am more prone to mistakes and often
“I’m a big believer in reinvention and now that my baby-making years are over and the child-rearing stage picks up a pace maybe I’ll completely turn things on their head. Or just win the Lotto and sit around knitting, eating cheese and slugging champagne for evermore” This week’s interview is
“I was just 22 when Claire was born… We had no family in Dublin and crèche facilities were non-existent. I found a nice local woman with kids of her own to mind Claire and I had to return to work full-time the day she was six weeks old. That was