"Most parents’ worst time of the day is my favourite."

Every parent has heard of ‘arsenic hour’ or ‘witching hour’. It’s that time of the day when dinner merges into bath time which merges into bedtime. Apparently it’s terrible, unless a series of recent lifestyle changes has led you to miss your children so much that their complaining, whinging and squabbling is music to your ears.

I recently returned to full time work, my son turned 10, my little boy started school and my daughter began long day care three days a week. It’s been an abrupt change that I am struggling to get used to, a new life phase I am enjoying but I feel trapped between two worlds more than ever before.

My oldest son is a little man now, I miss my little boy so much now that he is at school every day that my tummy aches, and I can’t get used to my daughter not being with me all the time.

Every afternoon when I leave work I hop on a bus and start thinking about the kids arriving home. The school bus stops right outside our house, like a dream, and every afternoon I am standing right there when it pulls up.

I arrive home, put my bag down, turn on the kettle, kick off my shoes, make coffee and then wait outside for the bus.

My son, who is 10, is way too cool to acknowledge me properly until all his friends have walked off so I only get a nod from him when he walks off the bus and into the house. My little boy who wouldn’t know ‘cool’ if it bit him on the butt looks for me before the bus has even stopped and begins waving furiously. I wave back. His face is lit up in a smile and when he walks off the bus he shrieks, “Hi Mum”, gives me a huge hug and lets me hold his hand as we walk into the house.

When I get inside my too-cool-for-proper-greeting son gives me a massive and prolonged hug. We then bundle into the car to pick up my daughter.

We arrive at the preschool during outside play time and the boys immediately run off and start playing. My daughter spots her big brothers and immediately gathers all her friends to announce that her brothers are here, “These are my brothers”, “My brother always climbs trees”, “My brother is so funny”…

We then head home for a crazy afternoon of soccer training or other activities, dinner, homework, bath time and bed. It’s a crazy and noisy whirlwind and I love every single second of it.

My favourite moment is when they are all asleep in bed and I am about to go to bed myself. I go into their rooms, give them kisses and cuddles, tuck the blankets under their chins and fall asleep feeling completely filled up.

What is your favourite time of the parenting day?