How does a working mother day begin? And how does a stay at home mother day begin? The New Age Parents caught up with 4 mothers to find out more.

Siti Nuraziza, 36, Stay at home mother

Married to Nasir Bin Dofri, Prison Officer

Has two kids, aged 9 and 1 years old.

I get up at : 5:30am

A typical day starts off with : Making breakfast/lunch & dinner. Entertaining my little one. Household chores. Revising homework and assessments.

When my kids are in school I : will be at playing with my little one, preparing lunch and taking a short nap with little one or surfing the Net.

I see my kids again at : 2pm

I tuck my children to bed at : 9pm

Bedtime for me is at: 12am

I wouldn’t change my current ‘job’ for the world because : No other job can give me the benefits of LOVE, CUDDLES, LAUGHTER AND WARMTH at the same time.

How do you juggle your time with your kid : I don’t juggle my time with my kids…..my time has always been theirs since they were conceived. My time is scheduled for them!

What are the challenges in your journey as a mother: To be the ‘bad’ or ‘good’ guy. But I have always been the disciplinary mistress :( Set rules and try not to break them!

What is the biggest thing you learn as a mother: Mother’s instincts are usually right even though sometimes, they do admit they’re wrong. Well…..nobody is perfect, right?

Mrs. Chung, 35, School Counselor

Married to Nick

Has two children, 5 and 3 years old, expecting child number three in June

I get up at : between 7.30 – 8 am

A typical day starts off with : preparing breakfast for the boys and myself. If I have time, I would prepare a full set of breakfast i.e. toast with jam, eggs, ham and usually milo. If I am tight for time, I would just give them milk/milo with bread and jam. If we are all sick of mummy-made breakfast, we would usually head out to a coffeeshop nearby for breakfast. I work from 10am to 3pm in the office, I also do counseling for schools 3 times a week. The boys are in school from 11 am – 2.30 pm. They come to office with me at around 10am.

I see my kids again at: 2.30 pm.

I tuck my children to bed at: If I am the one tucking them to bed, I would do it at 8.30pm. Their daddy tucks them in at a later time at 9.30pm!! Too late, in my humble opinion.

Bedtime for me is: 11.30 pm – 12.30am

I wouldn’t change my current ‘job’ for the world because: I am extremely thankful that I can be with them almost throughout the day (when they are not in school). Being with them almost 24/7 also means that there’s a consistent caregiver whom they can feel secure in (I hope). It is extremely gratifying to hear from them share about their daily happenings and what they have learned in school. I also have the opportunity to teach them Christians values (which are extremely important to us).

How do you juggle your time with your kids?

My husband helps a lot with the child rearing. He makes it a point to put them to sleep every night and also makes it an effort to bring them out individually for personal time. I try to have one off day a month to do my things that are non-children related e.g. shop, facial, coffee time. It helps with maintaining my sanity. It also helps to have the right perspective in nurturing the children i.e. once I miss their childhood, I miss it forever. Having that perspective is a constant reminder that the boys are part of my life and that it is not a chore.

What are the challenges in your journey as a mother?

Of course, there are times when I feel stress and extremely exhausted. Some challenges include managing expectations of self. Sometimes, I tend to want to do too much with the children but it is important to realize that my kind of fun/discipline/education is the child’s kind of fun/discipline/education. As a mother, there are times when I find it difficult to let go i.e. that sometimes it’s okay that they eat junk food; watch cartoon and play with iPhone/iPad. I cannot be too controlling.

What is the biggest thing you learn as a mother?

That it is okay to fail sometimes and tell my children that I’m sorry when I fail as a mother. Children are quite forgiving and forgetful beings. They love you pretty much unconditionally.

For Part I of the interview, go to https://thenewageparents.com/a-day-in-mummys-shoes-part-i/

What are the challenges in your journey as a mother and what are the biggest things you learned (or still learning), as a mother? Share them with us below!

By Som Yew Ya

This article was first published in The New Age Parents Apr / May 2013 e-magazine

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