A working mom has gone viral on social media after sharing her feelings about only having a limited amount of time with her son every day, due to all her daily commitments.
In a post shared on TikTok last Tuesday, under the username p_west_, the 31-year-old mom originally from America who currently lives in England, United Kingdom, can be seen holding back tears as she drives to pick up her son.
A caption reads: "POV: you're crying on your drive from work to go pick your baby up from daycare and you know you'll only have about an hour with them until they go to bed and you feel like you're missing so much of their little life and questioning yourself.
"Does this get easier?! I can't help but wonder if I made a mistake. I miss him so much."
The poster, Paige Wester, told Newsweek that she was a full-time stay-at-home mom for 17 months and it was the most rewarding, yet challenging job she's ever had, but she had to go back to work, out of fear that if she stayed out of it for too long she would never be able to get back into it.
She said: "The last 6 months I have always thought about going back to work part-time, but wanted something that would suit me. I found a job that allowed me to work 3 days a week (Monday-Wednesday) and I started a few weeks ago.
"I never imagined how difficult it would be to send my son to daycare 3 days a week. It has been a huge adjustment for the both of us and I'm finding it hard to balance even with only doing part-time."
Wester said she was driving back from a long day at work, feeling guilty about her decision.
"My heart goes out to women who have to go back even earlier than I did. I was lucky to have 17 months of being a full-time stay-at-home mom."
According to Statista, over 31 million American moms with children under 18 work, and about 4 in 10 are the sole or main provider of the family. About 55 percent of moms with kids under three years old have jobs.
The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received over 1.2 million views and 70,700 likes on the platform.
@p_west_ Does this get easier?! I can’t help but wonder if I made a mistake. I miss him so much #workingmom #sahm #ihatethis
♬ take a moment to breathe. - normal the kid
Users had very different opinions on the matter. Nikki McHugh commented: "Coming from a primary school teacher's perspective - daycare is super important for your child socially, emotionally and academically."
Emi said: "I've just handed in my notice for my £70k job. It's really hard but I can always get another job, I will never be able to raise my child again."
Clara Montiel wrote: "I feel like something's wrong with me because I never felt this. Instead, I just wanted to feel normal again and return to work."
User 1988dr3am added: "You will hate yourself for it when you are older. trust me. I missed everything and it's all that ever mattered to me and I ever mattered to."
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Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Maria Azzurra Volpe is a Newsweek Lifestyle Reporter based in London. Her focus is reporting on lifestyle and trends-related stories, ... Read more
