Guess What? Working Mothers Are Full Time Moms, Too

A mom wrote a viral post about the unique struggles of working moms

When we think of working moms, we tend to picture a woman in a nicely pressed suit, dashing off to her high-power office job, where she takes on the the world away from the chaos and demands of home life. In reality, being a working mom is a hell of a lot harder than it looks, and that’s why one Australian woman decided to share a post on Facebook that gives people some insight into what a working mom’s day actually looks like.

Rachelle, who blogs at The Mummy Code, is a working mom of two, who recently shared a photo from inside her messy car, along with a no-holds-barred message letting everyone know that, despite appearances, she most certainly does not have the cushy life others seem to think she does.

“To anyone who thinks that working mums have it all together. Ummm no,” she writes. “I have just arrived home at 5:10pm. I woke up with my 3 year old at 4:30am, got kids ready, went to childcare, drove an hour in traffic and started work at 8am – in a normal job, nothing glamorous or exciting.”

Once she gets home, of course there are a million things to do to get everyone fed, in bed, and ready for tomorrow. “I still have to do baths, make dinner and make a slice for work tomorrow who are having a ‘fun’ morning tea,” she explains. “Mr 3 (who is happy to see me) has spent the last 15 minutes asking Why? Why? How? Why? About various things… Miss one is upset and tired/hungry because daylight savings threw her out of routine.”

Then she touches on another huge problem working parents have: everything is a huge fucking mess. When you spend eight hours at work and then come home and spend two to three hours taking care of everything your kids need, that doesn’t leave a lot of time for cleaning and organization. “My car is dirty…..filthy dirty,” she says. “Filled with toys, juice boxes, lolly wrappers, red bull cans and way too many sultanas to even bother cleaning.”

People tend to act like work is some kind of vacation from parenting, but the reality is working moms still have to cook and clean, they’re still expected to be at every PTA meeting and soccer practice, and they still have to help with homework, get everyone bathed, and try to get the odd moment of bonding time with their kids before they’re shuffled off to bed.

We love to argue about working moms versus stay-at-home moms and who has it harder, but we too often forget that working moms still have all the responsibilities of other parents. Working moms are full-time employees and full-time parents, and that’s a hell of a lot to fit into a 24-hour day.

At the end of it all, Rachelle says she just wants everyone to know that she and other working moms are trying as hard as they can. “It may appear that working mums have it together but we are really all just running around, muddling through and trying to make it all work, so no one is let down or left out,” she says. “I am grateful for my family and my job but it’s not easy.”

Rachelle and women like her are busting their asses, and it takes nothing away from SAHM’s to also give working moms the kudos they deserve.