Returning to work after years of child rearing isn’t easy, but it can be a massive confidence boost.

Supermum: Nicola Wilkes with daughters Ruby, eight, and Imogen, three, has emerged from motherhood with three jobs and is studying for a PhD, but she always picks up her children from school and nursery. ‘I know they’re really proud of me,’ she says Photo: CHRISTOPHER JONES

So there we are. Your youngest child has gone to school. You are no longer in tears when your tiny scrap is shepherded out of sight and routine, of sorts, has been established.

The question is: now what?

If you’re working full-time, you’re probably worrying about practical issues like the after-school pick-up, how often the baby of the family will need a day off sick and where you will find the time to supervise yet another lot of homework.

But if you have spent a significant chunk of years out of the workplace, the moment when the smallest member of the family starts full-time education can feel like grief.

“I remember coming back to a silent house and feeling incredibly sad,” says my friend Sarah. “I thought how strange it was to be able to go to the loo with no one following me.” … Continue Reading