:Hugs: Tracey Don't listen to the negative comments I also think they are made out of petty jealousy, and booo to your mum for even relaying such drivvle and causing conflict, she could have told her to pull her head in and that could have been the end of it without upsetting you.
I'm a conflicted soul I love staying at home with my babies, I love doing the housewife thing and most of the time I think I do a pretty good job of it. But I love working, I love that adult stimultion, conversation, using my brain for more then 123 abc, circle square triangle and yellow, blue and green and so on. I have a Nursing degree but I don't use it anymore because 2 shift working parents just doesn't work in our house. Day care cost would be astronomical for us so I really can't afford to work. That's why I went back to Uni this year to get a Grad Dip of Ed (early childhood), so that maybe not next year but the year after I could go back to work doing something I love, (working with children) When I go on prac in a few weeks for a month It will cost us $760 per week minus the 16%. for the three littlies, Huge. Way more than our house payment. But I love having options so I made the choice to study. I could work supply on day care days, it would only cover the cost of child care but I would be getting experience in the classroom. Every family is different and has different needs. You need to do what you need to do in the best interests of your family.
DH has always supported me for the choices I make about whether to work or not to work, I am lucky because I don't have to do it, but I can choose to if I wish. I think he secretly wants me to be at home with the kids but no pressure either way.
The girls love that I can get to their sports days, or special parades or classroom activities and I do to, I feel sorry for those who can't. As Bath said it is sad that some workplaces don't provide leave for those special days, people could put in a leave form for the day if they really wanted to but then that cuts into their leave for holidays so either way they are missing out somewhere. DH work has Family leave days which equates to a few days a year on top of holiday leave and he could use it for those days. I'll just put the kids in the same school I get a job at so I can still attend their sports days.