Tue. Mar 19th, 2024

TL;DR – This also cannot, that also cannot.

If you are not familiar with the acronym FTWM, chances are this post will not affect you.

But for some 978 people who have liked this Facebook post, and another 1,373 who shared it, they can probably well-relate to the difficulties of being a Full-Time-Working-Mum in Singapore.

Facebook user Jason Cai who is also a motivational writer, wrote this post detailing how “it is sometimes not easy to be a Full-Time-Working-Mum (FTWM)”.

He explains,

1) You have to send your child to your parent/ in-law/ babysitter or infantcare/ childcare 

But they end up letting him/her watch TV despite your no screen-time preference. Then they will tell you, “I last time also let my son watch TV, see how well he turns out now”.

2) Or you might end up sending them to infantcare or childcare

And risk them contracting HFMD.

3) Life is never the same as before

Your colleagues might not be happy with you going on maternity leave, you have to sometime takes urgent childcare leave and breastfeeding mothers will have to lug the necessary combat kit to and fro work every day and risk being judged by your boss and colleagues for being unproductive when they take time off work to pump.

In short, not everyone is blessed with supportive and understanding boss and colleagues.

4) You have to be Superwoman

Ok, he didn’t say exactly say that but basically, when you wear different hats and serve different entities, everyone expects 100% from you.

You have to perform your best at work and at home and be constantly  “refreshed and recharged” every single day.

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5) How to OT?

You can’t stay beyond a certain time or else you will be late in picking up your child from the childcare but yet your bosses won’t exactly be the happiest. So how? Tough call to choose between your career aspirations and your family.

6) Hello Auntie

Dress down and people may term you as lazy and when motherhood takes its toil on you and you can’t keep up with the maintenance, then you have officially entered Auntie-hood.

7) The constant juggling

Between work, marriage and parenting.

Not everything can be compensated by money and none talks about the time away from your child and missing his/ her milestones and the guilt of not being there whenever he/ she needs you the most.

8) But all in all…

The FTWM is only human.

Like all human beings,  she yearns for love, support and encouragement.

And it’s not just FTWMs, like Jason says, all FTWM/D, SAHM/D, SAHWM/D, Single Mums/Dads – or basically all parents in general – you are all great in your own ways.

Read the full post here

By Zahra