Meghan Markle news: Duchess’ comments about being a working mum are far from reality for most parents | Opinion

OPINION — Navigating the return to work after having a child can turn your world upside-down and make you feel like you’re suddenly juggling 15 different balls, and some of them are on fire. 

But it seems that’s not the case for Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.

Her recent comments about life as a working mother make it seem like she’s got the perfect formula down for juggling work and motherhood. 

The bad news is, her comments, though well-meaning, just keep selling the lie women keep being told about having it all. 

READ MORE: ‘Meghan has learned from her mistakes’

“I don’t leave the house to go to an office. My office is here,” the former Suits star said during Episode 1 of her Confessions of a Female Founder podcast. 

“So oftentimes [daughter] Lili still naps, she gets picked up early and she naps and she only has a half day in preschool.

“So, if she wakes up and wants to find me, she knows where to find me. Even if my door is closed to the office, she’ll be sitting there on my lap during one of these meetings with a grid of all the executives.”

A half-day of preschool and sitting in on exec meetings sounds perfect, and even Meghan herself added, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

She said she doesn’t want to miss these moments, and honestly, what mum does? 

“I don’t want to miss pickup if I don’t have to. I don’t want to miss drop-off,” she added.

“And I think what I do love the most about having young kids in this chapter, while I’m building, is the perspective that it brings because you’re building something while your child’s going through potty training.

“And both are just as important.”

While it all seems wonderful when you put it on paper, Meghan’s working life is a far cry from what a majority of mums face. 

READ MORE: TV presenter stuns with gross admission 

For starters, the luxury of working full-time from home – for your own business – isn’t always there, and instead one of your first hurdles when returning to work is navigating a flexible work policy. 

But don’t get working from home and free childcare confused – companies are starting to introduce remote working policies that state you cannot work from home and look after your kids too.

Anyone who’s tried to do this knows it’s not as simple as popping your toddler on your lap and logging into a Zoom. 

If you have had to work from home with a small child, you’ll understand the guilt that comes with it, because in all honesty, you feel as if you’re going to let someone down. 

For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.

You can’t give yourself 100 per cent to work when you’re trying to wrangle snacks, or find the one thing your toddler wants or telling them you can’t read a book right now because you’re working.

At the same time, you’re not being there as a mum when you’re brushing your kid off as you try to finish an email or prep for a meeting, or feeling the guilt for resorting to using the TV as an extra parent.

So it does make sense that these kinds of policies are being introduced for remote work.

Flexibility is one of the biggest factors in many new mums – and new dads as well – being able to return to work, but it also just adds more layers to what you need to juggle.

READ MORE: Star warns new mums against doing one big thing postpartum

From daycare drop offs to pick ups, to clashing schedules with your partner and calling in grandparents (if you’re lucky enough to have them close by) to fill in the gaps to make everything work, it’s a lot.

Then there’s the mums who work in retail, or in industries like teaching, nursing or emergency services like police or paramedics, where oftentimes work from home just isn’t an option to help with the motherhood-career balance. 

For some parents, the only way to get that time is to drop down to part-time work, but with the cost of living crisis we’re in right now, it’s just not an option a lot of us can even start to consider. 

Meghan’s definitely got it figured out as a working mum, but the reality is it’s something a lot of us will never be able to do.

I personally feel #blessed with the flexibility I have within my job, but there are still days where I feel like either work or motherhood suffers because of the other, and that’s the reality of being a working parent.

Influencer reflects on how she’s feeling after welcoming second bub

Sure, Meghan’s comments are beautiful and it’s lovely to see she’s a hands-on mum and wants to be there.

But while the duchess spreads this wonderful vision of a home office and her schedule working around her kids, know this is far from what life is really like as a working parent – ask anyone you know. 

FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.