Recently I appeared in Woman magazine - a small section in a feature entitled, "Meet the regret-me-nots"
My piece was headlined, "I regretted becoming a full-time mum", which isn't strictly accurate - rather I found myself, like many mums who give up professional life for stay-at-home motherhood, feeling a certain wistfulness for opportunities forgone. I also experienced the loss of self-esteem that many women feel when they no longer have a full-time, possibly high-flying career. In fact, when I stopped being a television news presenter, even my own mother (herself a career woman) stopped boasting about me. After all, I was just a mum now, wasn't I?
Well, I happen to think that parenting is the most important job that anyone can do - because done badly you can ruin the life and chances of another human being. And if I'd been at work, I may not have had the time or energy to work out why my children were different. The subtleties of Asperger's can easily be missed or misinterpreted and that can lead to the child not getting the help they need to fulfill their potential.
You can, of course, be a great parent and work full-time and I would never suggest anything else - other peoples' lives are simply none of my business. But for me, once I'd held my son, my decision was made. I think my colleagues were a little shocked that this ambitious, somewhat fierce, journalist could just walk away from what I loved doing so easily.
We had to move to a cheaper part of the country to afford it at the time, but my own chaotic childhood had left a deep yearning for a stable, traditional family structure and I'm lucky that, despite the special needs issues, we still have that. I've also replaced my career in the often soulless world of television news with something better - my family, my writing, the special needs work and my new job helping people affected by congenital limb differences. I'm a better person because of it. Maybe now my (sadly, late) mum would even boast about me again if she could!
Anyway, now a new issue of Woman is out, I figure they won't mind if I post my own little piece here. You can find the Woman Magazine website here. Thanks to reporter, Nikki Osman, who wrote the piece. Click the image or the link below to read it for yourself.
My husband and I are off on a spa break tomorrow, courtesy of GP carers breaks in Surrey If you're a carer in Surrey, you could be eligible too. If you know someone this applies to, please pass the link on to them.
Look out for the regular story round up tomorrow!
Woman Magazine 9April-Tania Tirraoro.
Tania is an experienced broadcast and print journalist & author. She also runs a PR, web & social media consultancy, SocialOro Media.
Tania is a rare disease & chronic pain patient advocate with Ehlers Danlos syndrome.
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There is no more noble or important service then the parenting of children; children who become the adults who grow our food, build our homes, fashion our clothes, heal the wounded and share the love and compassion that dwells within their hearts.
Thanks Jeff, that’s beautifully said