Rosie's blog: Looking Ahead

The new year always brings a fresh complexion on plans and prospects. The potential for change and development is exciting and sometimes daunting. My children have had a wonderful Christmas and I realise that their childhood is fleeting. I wonder what challenges we will face in the next few years as they develop into teenagers and I muse about the role of a working mother of teenage sons.

The other day I was speaking to a friend and mentioning a colleague’s weekly commute from his home town to the City. For him, the quality of life and the availability of his wife to support the family meant that the endeavour was practical. We discussed that really there are times when one needs a dedicated partner to support the decisions that you make that are about lifestyle and shared ideals as well as understanding the best options for the family. Of course, meeting the dedicated partner in one’s life can be pretty tricky (not least when you are a single working mother and have already had one DP). Maybe this is the year that part of my life will change. My sons have been attempting to “interview” various people for the role of significant other for some time now and I realise that (thankfully) they have an understanding of the important part that another adult can play in their family life. Some of the suggestions have been a bit left-field: other people’s husbands, random acquaintances, someone who works at Cannon Street station (you’d see each other almost every day).

Just like all the resolutions that one makes during the course of the year, one needs to pay attention to the new way of being/living until it becomes habitual. Romance is clearly not quite as straightforward as a daily cup of green tea but I have done it before. It is exciting and quite an adventure, with perhaps less pressure than in one’s twenties and thirties, and certainly more confidence. I do not underestimate how much greater one’s confidence is with a stimulating career and supportive place of work. The lack of those qualities in one’s daily life could have the opposite effect and take away the lustre of family and other relationships. All of these elements need to be balanced. Sometimes this just isn’t the case and the pendulum swings too far one way, so the opportunity to address the things we can change in January is too good to miss.

Rosie is a partner in a City law firm with two sons aged 8 and 9. She is a single parent and works at her office in the City and at home.