When Work Takes Over: A Mum’s Struggle to Stay Close to Her Kids

Jiamin left corporate life to become more present with her children, then realised that building her own business was pulling her away again. In this honest Singapore motherhood conversation, we explore work, shared care, homeschooling and what it means to remain emotionally available when life is full. Many families rely on childcare, grandparents, helpers and enrichment classes. Help is essential, but when does sharing care begin to cost us connection? Jiamin, one of the mothers behind My Curious Child, takes us from demanding corporate work and late preschool pickups to leaving her career, homeschooling and building a purpose led business. She does not offer a perfect formula. Instead, she speaks candidly about choosing time and its sacrifices, learning alongside children rather than forcing them, accepting help, practising slow ambition and recalibrating when work began to take over again. “Mommy, I feel like you’re the person I’m always with physically, but yet I spent the least time with you.” In this conversation: • The hidden cost of outsourcing too much of childhood • Moving from caregiving to genuine connection • Why quality time also needs quantity • Learning alongside children rather than forcing them • Working mum guilt, burnout and slow ambition • Accepting help while protecting parent child connection CHAPTERS 00:00 Physically Present, Emotionally Disconnected 00:20 When Care Is Shared, What Slips Through? 02:15 The Late Pickup That Changed Her Priorities 05:43 From Caregiver to Connected Mother 07:32 Choosing Time and Its Sacrifices 09:04 How Homeschooling Began 10:22 Book Cuddles and Everyday Learning 11:26 Learning Alongside, Not Forcing 11:52 Why Quality Time Also Needs Quantity 14:27 When Work Took Over Again 17:40 Slow Ambition: Choosing Her Dream and Her Children 18:13 Accepting Help Without Losing Connection 20:38 What She Wants Her Children to Remember 22:35 Jiamin’s Listener Offer ABOUT JIAMIN Jiamin is one of the mothers behind My Curious Child and the co creator of Curious Little Critters Math Adventures, designed to help families learn through play, stories and connection. 🎁 Explore My Curious Child: https://mycuriouschild.net Use promo code MOTHER10 at checkout for 10% off. 📸 Instagram: @inmotherwordsofficial 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0NmSUVH... 🔔 Subscribe for new mama stories every other week. When life is full, what small thing helps your child know that you are still emotionally available? #MotherhoodPodcast #WorkingMum #ParentChildConnection #SingaporeMums #InMotherWords