Writing this I am sitting in an apartment in Liverpool all alone and its beautifully peaceful.

I am here attending the Labour Party Conference and I am having an incredible time yet I feel so blooming guilty.

Is it just me?

Is it a woman thing?

Or is it normal for any parent to feel guilty for being away from their children.

Now I’m not talking about working parents and those that have to travel for business I’m talking (writing) about parents feeling guilty for being away from their children for the reason that they are doing something for them. My time here at conference isn’t essential, its not adding to my professional development and I’m certainly not being paid for it, but I am really enjoying every minute.

Yes I am missing my children desperately and even my husband now and again but over the last few days I have showered in peace, not played referee between arguments(well maybe i have but thats another post) and i’ve actually slept. Add to this the level of in-depth conversations i’m having,  I’m having a wonderful time. SO why in the back of my head am I hearing words like “bad mom”  and “how could you”?

Is it just a me thing, am I little obsessive as a parent stressing myself out that they cannot cope without me?

Is it a woman thing that we believe that every child needs their mother to be there 24 hours a day?

Or is simply that from the moment we become parents we feel we should be there for our children all the time and that having fun is only allowed with them?

To be honest I haven’t got a clue, whilst I am the first to speak to others about giving themselves a break I am rather hard on myself.

I understand that every parent needs time to remind themselves that there is more to life than cbeebies, school runs and nappies. That we were ourselves before we ever answered to mom or dad.

That time away allows you recharge and renew.

So why in the world am I giving myself such a hard time over this?

I am really interested in people’s responses to this, please tell me if it is a woman thing, a parent thing or just a Sara thing?

Let me know how you feel about it?