Career Girl or Working Mum?

Unemployment. It has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it? Unfortunately not the ring of cash registers or a flawless 2crt platinum princess cut Tiffany ring, but a ring nonetheless...

Unemployment always seems like such an enviable position to be in when you’re staring down the barrel of another coffee-stained 70 hour working week. Sitting in your office, re-writing project plans and timelines for the 12^th time because your client's new Marketing Director wants to change everything you'd already planned, and had approved, by her predecessor. Yes, of course I’ll start again. No, I don't mind working all night so you can have it on your desk tomorrow. Would you like my first born with that?

Those were the days. Early starts, late nights, no time for eating and a Blackberry that never stopped beeping with new messages. Honestly, I haven't worked in more than eight months. Let me rephrase that. I haven't undertaken paid employment in more than eight months because I now work as a Mum, an exciting new role I'm learning to love, cherish and some days dislike just like a 'real' job.

Sitting here now, in the safety of my living room, I vividly remember yearning for unemployment. I remember the terrible anxiety attacks that never failed to pay me a visit most Sunday nights. The bottles of medication wine on high rotation in the fridge each weekend and the never ending knowledge that I had to dive head first into another week of a job I slowly came to despise as my responsibilities increased. Yep, unemployment would be pure bliss! 10am wake up. Days at leisure. No stress and no clients to answer too. Heaven.

But now that I have unemployment (and have had for some time) and E is doing well, I'm considering going back. The idea of interacting with colleagues, brainstorming ideas, achieving great results and um...a pay cheque is very enticing. Yeah, why couldn't I jump back on the corporate treadmill? Thousands of Mums do it every day and do it VERY well. My career doesn't need to end now my title reads 'Mummy' does it?! I use to manage PR campaigns for national brands and international companies. Surely I could master the work/life dance card. Couldn't I?

Perhaps the saying is true: You don't know what you've got until it's gone. Or do you?

Now I'm standing in Limbo Land trying to decide if I go back to work, I'm wondering...am I still the career girl I once was or has Motherhood changed me? Yes I had a great job and a career I worked hard to build, but what if it's no longer what I need, or more importantly, what I want? Can I give up that well-paid, well-heeled part of my life and concentrate on a new career path that involves nappies, playgroups, cooking, cleaning and drool?

If I do take on this new job fulltime, with gumption and forsake all others, I'll have to prepare a new position description to include a quarterly bonus (read: girls weekend away) and renegotiate my weekly wage with Teach (read: more Friends and less Football on TV). It's only fair. I do have a very demanding client that expects early starts and late nights!