I always thought I could manage it and have it all. And I did. For some time. Then, on my daughter's 11th birthday, I couldnt be there. It killed me. Then, her studies started to decline. She's a bright kid, but misses a lot of school due to her asthma. She makes up for it if I'm around (or my husband -- when I was travelling, he taught her, and the marks demonstrate it). But when we cant, and ask her if she'll cope, she always says yes. But she cant. Poor girl. Dont blame her.

For 11 years, I haven't ever felt guilty about leaving my kid to the maids. Today, when the quality of her education suffers, I do. And we are those kinds of parents who are fine with average marks -- average marks that really mean average -- 60%, no more. But yet, the joy and pride AND ego of a parent whose kid gets 85-90%, which our daughter gets when we hand hold her -- is a lot to give away for letting her just cope on her own and get a 60% (except in subjects where she is a natural).

It's a tough call. Many friends (read mothers) have quit working in these crucial years. Is that the right way to go, when you have taught your child to be responsible and independent? When I look back, my marks have never counted -- I'm doing very different stuff from what I studied for anyway. So is my husband.

So I wonder -- how much of this dilemma worth it in the long run?