How To Be a Working Mom

The term “working mom” seems a little redundant because ALL moms are working moms, whether or not they earn a paycheck. For the purpose of this article, though, we’ll be looking at those who juggle both the responsibilities of motherhood and paying jobs.

Balancing a career with a happy home life may take a little planning and forethought, but women who make the effort to put together a success strategy find that they really can have it all!

Step 1. Find safe, reliable daycare. Knowing that your children are well tended is essential to being able to focus on your work, so do all that you can to find a daycare situation that makes you feel secure. There are a number of options available, including day care centers, home daycare providers, and private nannies. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks; only you can decide what type of situation works best for your family.

Step 2. Ask for and accept help. There was a time when working moms seemed determined to do everything themselves, but today’s smart moms know that there is no shame in asking for and accepting help. Even the kids can and should help out around the house—and when chores are done together, they can be fun. Consider things that your children might enjoy, such as raking leaves or gardening.

Step 3. Set limits—and stick to them. There is only so much that any one person can do, whether at work or at home, so working moms would be wise to set some boundaries so that they don’t find themselves overwhelmed by all that they’ve taken on. A clean house is great, but it doesn’t have to be spotless, and even the best employees need not make themselves slaves to their jobs. As far as kids’ activities, let them enroll in one sport or activity at a time—not only is this a good way to avoid having the kids be over-scheduled, it’s much easier for parents to attend all of their children’s activities.

Step 4. Be flexible. With kids comes a certain amount of unpredictability, so moms need to be willing to make adjustments as they go along. Yes, kids need consistency, but when things don’t go as planned, smart working moms are ready to switch to “Plan B.” Those who are juggling both a family and a career truly need to be able to laugh off the inevitable mix-ups.

Step 5. Remember what they say about “all work and no play…” When kids look back on their childhoods, they should remember plenty of fun times. The daily demands of modern life can keep working parents so busy that they may forget what it is that they are working for. Working moms (and dads, too!) should take some time to play with their children in order to build lasting bonds.

Step 6. Let go of guilt. In an ideal world, all children would be fed a perfect diet of wholesome foods. In the real world, life gets busy, the fridge is sometimes empty, and dinner sometimes gets burned. An occasional fast food meal isn’t going to hurt anyone, so working moms shouldn’t beat themselves up if they get dinner from the drive-through every now and then.

Step 7. Take care of yourself. Working moms (all moms, really) tend to give to everyone—often to their own detriment. Taking time for exercise, hobbies, or even a bit of pampering can help moms to recharge and energize so that they can meet the demands of family and career.


Source: Elizabeth Grace (HOW TO DO THINGS.com)