Questionnaire: What Type of Mum Are You?

Many women dream about having children, but they have no idea what kind of mum they’ll be like until they actually become one.

Now that you already have kids – and a job – what kind of mum have you truly become?

Are you a demanding perfectionist, who stipulates that her children be perfect themselves, or do you let things slip by the wayside and cross your fingers it’ll all work out?

Do you put your work before everything else - even at the expense of your children - or is family your top priority?

Are you good at balancing the many commitments in your life, or do you strive to do everything – and feel guilty half the time? Take this quiz and find out…

Do You Put Your Job or Your Children First?

Little Arabella’s school play is next Tuesday, and she is the starring role. Trouble is, you are supposed to fly to Barcelona for an important four-day conference that morning. What do you do?

1) Ask another mum to video Arabella and go to Spain. What’s a little play, anyway?

2) Cancel all your work plans and see Arabella in her shining glory. After all, she’s only the star of the show once.

3) Ask your boss if you can arrive in Spain that evening, and miss the first day of the conference. You’ll still be in Barcelona three of the four days – and your presentation isn’t until day three anyway!

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Do You Stick to the Rules - No Matter What?

You and your partner have always stressed the importance of healthy, organic food, but an important project is due and you haven’t had time to do the weekly shop. Do you…

1) Take them out to McDonald’s.

2) Jump in the car and go to the organic market with all three children in tow, where you spend an hour and a half buying only the best produce. Then drive back home and make them a feast, before spending all night on your project and falling into bed exhausted at 3pm.

3) Whip them up a quick meal from whatever’s in the kitchen – an omelette, some carrots and a tin of baked beans.

Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.

How Good Are You At Handling Mummy Guilt?

You are due to make a big presentation at work but your children unexpectedly have the day off school due to an inset day. Your partner is coming home to take care of them at 2pm, but you have to look after them until then – and try to finish the speech you have to give in front of 75 people. Do you…

1) Plop them in front of the telly for seven hours, with strict instructions not to bother you – or else.

2) Worry yourself into a tizzy about your presentation, then take the children out to a special treat at the zoo. After all, how often do they have a day off?

3) Give them crayons, paper and snacks, then check on them an hour later and pop a DVD on. When that finishes, give them a healthy lunch and bring out some books.

How Well Can You Deal With the In-Laws?

Your in-laws announce they are coming to stay for a week, but your kids have big problems with them. Do you...

1) Dump the kids with them, take a week off work and jet off somewhere hot - why not take advantage of some free childcare?

2) Take a week off work and hang out with your in-laws, just to take the edge off for your kids. They shouldn't have to handle them on their own, should they?

3) Explain to the kids the importance of getting along with their grandparents, and spend all your time after work with them as a family. You try as hard as you can to make things better for everyone, going out as much as possible and involving everyone along the way.

ANSWERS

If you answered mainly 1), you are career-driven and always put your job first. You are unwilling to compromise and it shows, and you always put yourself before your kids. You might want to start thinking about others, at least a bit, before others start to resent you.

If you answered mainly 2), you are a martyr who always wants to do the “right thing”, and you constantly put everyone before yourself. You need to spend some time thinking about what you want from life, not just your children. Get rid of the guilt and do the right thing - they’ll respect you more if you begin to respect yourself.

If you answered mainly 3), you are a natural compromiser who tries to do right by everyone – and ends up doing the right thing most of the time. You make appropriate decisions based on the facts at hand, and once you make up your mind you stick to it. Well done!

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Working Parent Support Checker lets you see what financial support a working parent could be entitled to, from free childcare hours and tax-free childcare to Child Benefit and Universal Credit help. Try it now →