Tips for Working Mothers
There are ways you can organize your life and your surroundings so it works for you and allows you to have the best of both worlds.
Working moms have a lot on their plate. In spite of all the advancements we've made towards equality, women are still expected to be the primary caregivers for their children. That means that moms who don’t want to quit their career because they had kids can often end up feeling like they are doing two full-time jobs, and are then absolutely exhausted. Luckily, there are ways you can organize your life and your surroundings so it works for you, and allows you to have the best of both worlds.
Teach independence
Kids that grow up learning to be independent will not only become the leaders of tomorrow, but they will become children that don’t pull on your skirt for every little thing. Now you have to understand that this is a process that gets worse before it gets better. By giving them the freedom to be independent, it will at first be messy, you’ll need to keep your eye on them all the time to make sure they don’t hurt themselves and constantly encourage them to keep going forward. But in a few years, it will all be worth it, so stick with it and make sure that everyone who’s taking care of the child is on the same page about it.
Meal prep
There’s nothing that saves time quite like meal prep. You take a few hours on Sunday when the kids are at their grandma’s to prepare meals for the entire week, breakfast through dinner. It might feel like a chore if you make it one, but if you learn to love cooking, and spending time in the kitchen, this can be a part of your “me time.” Play your favorite music or turn on a TV show you can't watch in peace when there are kids around, and just enjoy yourself.
Find a daycare that works for you
Finding a good daycare that fulfills all your needs is a big task. If you’re going back to work while you’re still breastfeeding, find a daycare that provides childcare in Sydney CBD, and has an open-door policy, meaning you can pop in anytime to breastfeed or just bond with your child. You also want to make sure that the daycare has the same principles when it comes to raising children, like supporting independence, encouraging curiosity, and enforcing certain moral pillars that you want your child to grow up on, such as compassion, sharing and personal boundaries.
Have a home that works for you
If your home is a mess, and every time you walk in, instead of feeling peace and relief, you feel stress and anxiety, you need to change something ASAP. Storage is the biggest thing, and if you have enough storage, and your kids know that when they are done using something they need to put it in a designated area, you will have a much better experience. Treat your home as a production line, and make sure everything follows a strict pipeline and has its place, so that you’re never lost in your own home.
Have help
You can’t do it all on your own. Employ your partner, family, neighbors, or hire help, but make sure you’re not the only person taking care of these kids. Have some time for yourself, and take care of both your mental and physical health, because if you’re not well-rested and in your prime, how much can you realistically give to your kids?
Learn to say “No”
To everything. Say no to unnecessary PTA meetings, say no to your child when they want something you can’t give them, say no to colleagues asking you to stay late, just say the word. No is the most powerful word you’ll ever use, and get comfortable using it. The more you learn to set boundaries around yourself, the more time you’ll have structured, and the better you’ll be able to plan out your life and have a clear schedule.
Being a working mom is hard, but if it’s what makes you happy and fulfilled, it’s what you should be doing. There are millions of moms all over the world who are taking care of both their kids and careers, so there’s no reason why you couldn’t do it too.
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