The Little Pages March/April 2016 | Page 26

Real Moms

WORK OR STAY AT HOME ?

We chatted to three local moms about their decisions surrounding going back to work ( or not ) after having children . The full interviews can be read on our Blog : www . thelittlepages . co . za / blog
ZIYANDA YOBA , 34
Ziyanda is a full time working mom who works in the public sector . She is mom to Lingomso ( 7 ) and Lusonele ( 2 ).
UPSIDE : Ofcourse , having an additional income in the house and being able to put stilettos on and feel like I am living life for myself and also my family . To be a working mother also shows the boys that you can be the best of both in the world . And my boys are learning that household chores are part and parcel of family life . DOWNSIDE : My son is at the age now when he can ask me to attend extra murals or outings and I have to tell him I cannot , it really breaks my heart . Tiredness after working 8 hours , it effects the kids because I cannot give them my full attention .
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JANE RICHTER , 37
Jane is a stay at home mom to her daughter ( 3 ) and a new baby boy . She is originally from the UK where she met her South African husband . Their first child was born in the UK , and Jane initially returned to her job in London after one year on maternity leave , but ultimately decided that she did not want to misss out on all of the ‘ firsts ’.
UPSIDE : Seeing all of the firsts for my children I think is awesome and is a major pro . I love being able to paint , bake , do jigsaw puzzles with them and spend quality time with them each day and see constantly how they are developing . I never feel like I ’ m missing out ! It ’ s also great that I can pop to the shops during the week without those weekend crowds !!! DOWNSIDE : Although I love my children dearly I do have those days when I wish I was back at work and had something a bit more mentally challenging to do as mopping up baby sick and tidying away yet another toy can get tiresome very quickly !”