The Honest Truth About Working, Studying and Parenting — What Social Media Doesn’t Show 💛

If you scroll through social media, you’ll see the clean versions of motherhood and studying. Colour-coded planners, tidy desks, silent homes, steaming coffee nobody microwaved three times ☕.

And sure — those moments exist.

But most of us are studying with a toddler singing Peppa Pig in the background, a baby wipe stuck to our sock, and a to-do list that won’t stop growing 🧸🧼.

If that sounds familiar, welcome — you are absolutely not alone. This is the honest truth about studying, working and parenting — the stuff social media doesn’t always show.

Real Life Doesn’t Look Like Pinterest

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A “study session” can look like typing an assignment while someone asks for snacks every 4 minutes 🍌, watching lectures with subtitles because the house is too loud, or writing notes on your phone while rocking the pram 🚶‍♀️.

Some days you’ll open your laptop and close it again because your brain is done 😅. Some days nap time gives you twenty minutes of focus ⏳.

Some days nothing goes to plan — and that’s still okay. Productivity online looks like a candle-lit desk. Productivity in real life is one paragraph, one email, or one page read while cooking dinner 🍝.

Those moments still count ✅.

The Emotional Side No One Talks About

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There’s mum guilt for studying instead of playing, stress about deadlines, worry about money, and moments where you feel like you’re missing everything at home.

Then there’s comparison — seeing other students with free time and perfect routines. But you’re not behind. You’re just carrying more than most people realise 💛.

The Hidden Wins That Matter

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Some victories are big — passing a module, finishing an essay, getting through a shift.

But small wins matter too: a walk when your brain needed air 🍂, a quick tidy that calmed the house, a baby finally napping 😴, reading one paragraph and remembering it, asking for help 💬.

These aren’t small. They’re survival skills.

Why We Keep Going

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We do this for our future, but also for theirs. To show our children that learning doesn’t stop when you become a parent, that dreams don’t expire, and that anything worth having takes effort ✨. One day they’ll know we didn’t choose the easy path — we chose the meaningful one.

You Don’t Have to Look Perfect to Be Doing Amazing

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If your washing pile is judging you from across the room, if toys are everywhere, if your study space is the dining table — it’s fine. You don’t need a spotless house or a perfect routine. You just need to keep showing up in the ways you can.

Studying, working and parenting is messy, overwhelming and exhausting — but it’s also brave, powerful and inspiring 💛. So if today wasn’t productive, if the kids were wild, if nothing went to plan… you are still doing enough.

And if no one has said it yet today: you’re doing an incredible job.✨

Rachel x