The children, the job

So after my last shambolic blog, I recoiled to my lovely friend's pile in Herefordshire, where we relaxed, Christmased and made merry! On this, my final day before I return from post Christmas and new year excess, I thought I would take a moment to redress the balance of my shoddy blogging performance.
I remember this holiday period before I had children, the time seemed endless, false time spent with family getting fat and drunk when I'd much rather be drinking and cavorting with friends and lovers, (never sounds right in way of tacky novelist) this time (and other years with children) I had no concept of time whatsoever! That is to say, my day job as mother of two completely escaped me. Time was irrelevant, my military precision of leaving the house in the morning became slap dash and non existent. Bedtimes really only existed in my head and were only enforced on the children because, as much as I love them, it's just so lovely when they're tucked up in bed as opposed to clambering all over me and the rest of the world in the near vicinity! Breakfast, lunch and supper fell upon me with a secrecy so great that, had it not been so ingrained, my two girls would have existed solely on jelly beans, After Eights and any other Christmas period goodies that one finds lying around. 5 a day simply became a niggling thing at the back of my mind. Excess, greed and gluttony replaced any semblance of pious motherliness that I may or may not previously have had.
So I wonder, these children that are my job, these two lovely mortals that I would do anything for, these two little people have quite literally become my job. With that in mind therefore, I also wondered, where is the statutory pay? Where is the minimum wage? Where is the statutory holiday that everyone is entitled to? Surely, if we as mothers take on the children hook line and sinker, in the way of a job, then we too are entitled to something more than that which we can fund?
Perhaps this is in keeping with the New Year, New me thing? Perhaps we should all be striking as on the Underground and airplane companies? If everyone who has a job is entitled to certain periods of abstinence then, surely, by law, mothers and fathers should also be allowed to take paid leave, beyond that which they can afford? Mothers should be allowed a fag break, tea break or any other break that means that we aren't ready to baste our children in the oven with the turkey or fall to our knees shouting "a break, a break, my kingdom for a break".
I trust that every one of my 9 followers enjoyed their Christmas and New Year break, along with anyone who doesn't follow my blog but is a mother or a father. Perhaps the children, the job, is so true to some people they're going mad? I did, I went totally stark raving mad, but perhaps, regardless of all that, as a parent you should just accept what comes? After all, they didn't ask to be born (both children and parents ongoing).