I thought of all the magazine article I'd read on mothers who worked and constantly felt guilty about leaving their children with someone else. I had trained myself to read pieces like that and silently say to myself, 'See how lucky you are?' But it had been gnawing at the inside, that part that didn't fit, that I never let myself even think about. After all, wasn't it a worse kind of guilt to be with your child and to know that you wanted to be anywhere but there?

Summary

This quote explores the conflicting emotions and internal struggle of a mother who feels societal pressure to excel both at work and in motherhood. The speaker has always silently reassured herself of her luck, comparing herself to other working mothers who feel guilty for leaving their children. However, she acknowledges a different kind of guilt - the guilt of being physically present with her child but secretly yearning to be elsewhere. This quote highlights the complex emotions that can arise when societal expectations clash with personal desires and the internal conflict that can result from feeling torn between different responsibilities and aspirations.

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