In the early 1950s, my mother trained as a chemical analyst. She wanted to have a good job and be able to take care of herself. Which she indeed did for a long time, even when she was already married to my father. People thought it was strange. Why do such training if you are getting married anyway? And a couple with two working partners, that was actually impossible. It would be a Jan Steen household with them!
When I was born, my mother 'naturally' stopped working. Bad luck for her, because it was precisely during that period that her field was undergoing a strong development, which she was unable to catch up.
I myself have always worked. Full time, four days, and now only during school time. I sometimes really worry about that. I've just been busy with acquisitions, I have to go get another child. And in the summer holidays, with a patchwork of mom/dad days and a babysitter, things only get worse.
I could organize it differently:Bso and holiday game for the oldest. Extra nursery for the youngest. I enjoy tapping pieces all day long. I don't hear anything different around me. But how much would I miss! Go to the playground, read a book, build train tracks. Potty training – yes, it worked! I'm actually very happy to be able to experience all of this. That's why I've decided to just enjoy it for as long as I can.
But what now annoys me so much is that women are once again being forced into a straitjacket.
Had I lived sixty years ago, I would have had to constantly apologize for the fact that I work. A crèche at that time – if available – was very bad for a child's development. Now I am a spoiled princess and I am not repaying my debt to society because I was allowed to study.
And whether I like it or not, on mommy days I often get a feeling of uselessness. I produce nothing, I contribute nothing to society. Despite a fourteen-hour working day and night shifts… Isn't it bizarre that we allow ourselves to be influenced by the prevailing views? Why don't we stop judging each other? Let everyone find out for themselves.
And then there's something I don't understand at all:people work in the crèche who earn money taking care of my child. If I take care of my child myself, I earn nothing! Why doesn't a caring mother or father actually receive a basic income?
It's time for parenting reassessment!
