Job description

During one of my many evenings of lying in the dark cuddling my son until he falls asleep, my mind wandered and I wondered how much of my time I spend doing this. Mostly, this is a fairly enjoyable activity, that I use to think about things, meditate or just enjoy being with him. Sometimes I talk to him about the beauty of the world and what there is to appreciate. Sometimes I sing to him. Sometimes he chatters to me. Sometimes we just lie in silence.

Anyway, I was curious, both about the tasks I do during my working day and how much time I devote to them. Having made my first attempt at putting it onto paper (figuratively speaking), no wonder I think it is harder than any (paid) job I ever did. The hours are ridiculous! I definitely wouldn't take a paid job like this, but I also do enjoy most of it as much as (and on occasion more than) any paid job I have done - the reward, as all mothers that have gone before have ever told me, is worth it. Though, being slightly cynical, the idea of psychological consonance (versus dissonance) comes to mind...that is, the idea that our brains are built to make the most of whatever choices we have made so that we believe our current choice to be the best choice we could have made - a clever little trick designed to make us happier.*

So, see below for my working day! How my mother did this with five children, I have no idea.

 * To acknowledge that this 'trick' appears to have gone wrong with some people, but that is an entirely different blog post and so I shan't dwell on that here.