This is the time when I know that she really needs me. There is too much that
I would miss to just go to work. (Naomi, one child, white UK, lone mother, at
home)
I was just wondering, like, how - I don’t think that there’s nothing wrong with
other mothers sending their kids [to childcare] but I think the mother and
daughter or baby communication is very important. And you might miss, like,
the first smile, the first step even if the mother’s working or something. And I
think ... I think it’s more like a closer bond. And I think you do need your
mother there for the couple of - the first years. (Saher, one child, Asian Indian,
married, at home)
I just thought that these years are the most important, you’re not going to get
them back, they’re growing so rapidly, especially now that he’s just turned
two, things like his language, like every day, you know, another word comes
out. And I just wanted - felt I wanted to be part of that as much as possible.
You know, and it didn’t feel - I feel a lot more relaxed now, because even
though I was working part-time, the two days I was off for, there was always
something to do. (Audrey, one child, black Caribbean, married, at home)
Mothering identities that revolved around staying at home with your children and
caring for them full-time were found across the sample, but there were discernable
patterns with regards to sub-groups. Above we mentioned two groups of mothers
from South Asian and ultra-Orthodox Jewish backgrounds who saw themselves as
stay-at-home mothers, but who also defined their role in a broader sense as providing
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