Bored? Not this mother.

I was asked recently if I was 'very bored staying at home all day?'
It was (I think) meant in the true spirit of curiosity. Having been in full-time employment since the age of 18, how could I possibly stand to do nothing? If I'm completely honest with myself, I have to acknowledge the days when I feel 'wasted', or underemployed. But there simply is no space for boredom, and goodness knows I've had paid jobs where my value was wilfully under-utilised.

I think that for many, the value of work done by a parent at home isn't recognised. What can there REALLY be to do all day? Well, quite a bit actually. The early years of a child's life are of huge importance and lay the foundations for later life from academia to social skills and self-esteem. An average day in my boring little house includes the following activities and lessons.

Object permanence: The ball was under the blanket the whole time!

Cause and effect: Your voice can turn on the lights.

Physical therapy: Blowing out candles.

Building neural pathways and secure emotional bonds: Cuddling for all ages.

Independent play: The importance of self-discovery, risk-taking and letting Mammy have her coffee.

Gross motor skills: Mammy Tiger's going to catch you!

Vocabulary and memory work: Object matching/Songs with actions/Constant chatter while walking around Lidl.

All of this is to say nothing of three daily trips to 'big school', homework supervision, the constant influx and egress of bodily fluids, meal preparation, laundry and the Sisyphean task of sweeping floors.

So yes, it's worlds away from high heels, deadlines and meetings but preparing four children for life in the great wide world is certainly no less important and is never boring.

It can be difficult to do work that never seems to get finished and can't be submitted for award or promotion, but despite the first lesson of the day, nothing is permanent. One day, as I try to motivate an office full of people to take pride in their work I'll think fondly of the days of reading Roald Dahl down by the river, and accepting heaping praise for making beans on toast as a treat.

Life as a modern woman means that I can have it all, just not all at once. That, and I'll never be bored.