Sunday morning

Lazy weekends used to mean just one thing: lie ins. Black coffee in bed, the papers, leisurely breakfasts at Picasso, a gallery, a stroll along the river ... These days Sunday mornings are rather different. After a few days of sole childcare, (pilot is flying overnight from Mexico), today saw everyone up by six, usual breakfast brouhaha, walk the dog, do the chores, squeeze in some work emails, and a quick glance at the headlines if you are lucky.

Flicking through last week's unread Style section as I tossed it into the recycling bin last night along with the rest of the unread Sunday paper, there was an interesting article in which a single career woman in her late thirties swapped places with a mother of four for a couple of days. The results were interesting - the career girl took to family life like a duck to water, loving everything except the thankless groundhog day drudgery. She loved the intimacy, the company, the laughter. By the end of the experiment, city lights palled for the mother of four, and she couldn't wait to get back home. I think that's the secret, the love that until recently dare not speak its name - at least for me there is nothing like family life, nothing like the love you feel for your children, nothing like the deep calm after the hurlyburly. What about you? Answers on a postcard, or post a comment - if there is anyone out there reading this!

For me, at least the sacrifices are more than worth it, and a pram in the hall has never stopped me doing the work I love. Last year I was headhunted by one of the auction houses to set up their operation in the Middle East - there are still times when I think wistfully of the intellectual challenge, the six figure salary, the hot and cold running domestic help, and the chance to wear something that has to be drycleaned for a change but I don't regret turning the job down. I wanted to write, and I wanted to be there for my family. I couldn't reconcile that with the devotion needed to start up a new business operation. Every old lady who pats your baby on its head and says to make the most of them has it right - children grow up so fast. This will not last forever. I do not want to look back and regret missing a single moment. You can still have coffee in bed on a Sunday morning, only these days there are likely to be three or more of you, and one of you may need your nappy changing.