Hey, I'm Madeleine!
I am a wife and a mom of three young kids. After I had my first child and got to stay home with her after years of working and studying I found that this was when I was at my happiest. But society's standards have been laying deep in me and I felt pressured to get a job and send my daughter to daycare. I had just finished my bachelors degree in biology when I gave birth, and after years in school I had to use my education, right?
So, I got a job, a few actually since finding a job in my field in the small place I live is quite challenging, but I was never happy. I was longing for the opportunity of another maternity leave if I were to have another child. And I did, and it was amazing. I was so happy, and a week before I gave birth to my second daughter I got offered what I thought was my dream job, without even applying. So, when my daughter was a year old I went back to work even though everything in me was screaming that it was wrong. Sacrificing this time with my child that I will never get back for what, money? That sounds insane to me... But I did, because of all the expectations, and I have regretted it ever since.
This time, I am on maternity leave with my son and my last child, and I do not want it to end. I do not want to go back to the rat race. My husband is also a farmer which is extremely busy work, in addition to being a builder, so I am alone with the kids a lot as well as all the housework. And all of this on top of the 9-5 is just not durable, and I will not let it continue this way.