“Are people sick of picking up the slack for working mums?” the headline read, a story on Mornings. The sound was down so I couldn't hear what was going on, but there was some woman on the screen, waving her hands around. Go, girl, I thought. Defend the sisterhood – after all, there’s no such thing as a slack working mum. (Well, there probably is, but no one I know, thanks very much.)

So after I'd had my cup of tea, swanned about reading the papers, and chatted to a couple of colleagues, I wandered back to my desk, ordered my groceries online, and thought I'd check up the whole “slack working mums” thing on social media.

It turns out this woman hadn’t been defending the sisterhood after all – she’d actually been leading the charge against so-called #slackmums (the hashtag made it easier for everyone to follow the brouhaha on social media). Katie Hopkins was her name, and she’s a Pommy who thinks she has her finger on the pulse of what's happening in the world. "Telling it like it is," is her catch cry, according to her website. Well, let me tell you like it is, Katie Hopkins: bugger off.

According to Ms Hopkins, every woman who has borne children and who has then gone on to collect a pay cheque is a slacker who is leaving their poor childless colleagues in the lurch.

Once again - bugger off!

It seems I'm not the only one she annoyed. The television show's Facebook page went berserk; Twitter, too. Like me, all these working mums were trolling social media at 9.30 in the morning because clearly that's what we do all day.

But seriously, I don't know any slack working mums. I'm in the office before nine after the double drop off, and yes, I leave at three to pick up the kids. But I’ve elected to work part-time, four days stretched out over five, so I can work school hours, so I can be there for my kids. My family is my main job. I've made that very clear.

But when I'm here at this other job, the job that pays the bills, I give it my all. And when I look around this office, a microcosm of the working world, I see other working mums who are doing the same thing. Sure, we might have to occasionally sneak off to a swimming carnival, or order our groceries online, or organise after-school activities while we're on the clock, but hey – in return we've given up long lunches, work social functions, and any chance of promotion. Seems like a fair trade.

One woman posted on Facebook that her boss only employs working mothers. I get that; if I was ever in the position of hiring and firing, I would think about doing it too. In my experience, working mothers are organised, focussed and efficient, supportive and caring, and willing to be flexible if they know they'll get flexibility in return. These are great qualities for an employee to have.

We want to get the job done, now, because we know the real work – and the work that is far more emotionally draining – begins once you get the kids in the back of the car after school. There's that old adage that if you want something done give it to a busy person; well, working mums are busy people, 24/7.

I'll admit that until about 12 years ago, some part of me agreed with the idea of #slackmums. I used to work with one woman who pretty much did what I'm doing now. I resented her, in parts, because I was the one who had to finish things off after three, because she always seemed to get her pick of holidays, because she'd call in sick when she had to look after sick children. Life wasn't fair.

All I can say to Gen-Yers whinging about us Gen-X working mums is this: cut us a break. We were exactly where you are a decade or so ago, and you’ll be where we are one day. And you’ll be grateful for the things the Gen-Xers did to help you forge a path.

Aside from all this, though, there was one thing that annoyed me the most, and an astute Facebook poster noticed it too. Why does the media (and yes, I know I'm part of it) continue to give space to any discussion that pits women against each other? We're all in this together, girls. At their core, our battles are the same. We're all trying to live happy, authentic lives, the best we can, whatever our choices might be. Let's not let anyone make us take sides - slackers and non-slackers alike.

Watch katie Hopkins and Caroline Overington debate #slackmums below.