A mother puts a lot of pressure on herself. She has to take care of the children, run the household and meet all the demands of her career. Working moms are often harsh on themselves. Work life balance can be challenging and working moms may miss an occasional sporting event due to a meeting or other work obligations. A mother should not be made to feel bad she cannot be there every second of the day because she is providing for her family. There are some challenges and solutions that are specific to working mothers. Here are some helpful tips on how they can make their life easier without having to sacrifice a career or family time.
Challenges And Solutions For Working Mothers
Build a Support Network
Many people have heard that it takes a village to raise a child. This is very true especially in the modern times. A working mother does not have to do everything on her own. It is okay to ask for help when raising children. Get support from a family member, friends, neighbors, and even include the children in some decision-making. Always have an emergency plan ready in case a child gets sick or something happens at the office. The children need to feel like they are not alone, and a support network will allow them to turn to someone. The working mother needs to feel that she does not have to do this alone, and there will be people around to help her that care for her children.
Do Not Feel Guilty
A mother should not have to feel guilty that she is working to support her children. She should be proud of the strong example she is setting. Whether she is a single mother or has a working spouse, she goes to work to make sure her children have everything they need including food and a roof over their heads. Women have a right to have a career the same as men.
Have Quality Child-Care
Before sending the children to a daycare or after school program make sure that it is of high quality. Ask for references from other parents. Some states have a star system based on the quality of the daycare. Become familiar with this system and ask the daycare how many stars they have. Before hiring a babysitter ask for references including background checks. Ask to speak to families they have worked for previously to make sure they are reliable and will show up one time. Take the time to interview several daycares and babysitters before making a final decision so you will know you have found one you really trust and can relax knowing your kids are in good hands.
Be Organized
Having a schedule and everything in order will help make everything things much easier. Be sure to find out when sporting events, school events, and other important health and fitness events are and mark them on your calendar. Also, look at the work schedule to plan ahead for meetings and other events. This way child care arrangement can be made and so can your schedule at work. In the morning keep everything needed to get the kids to school and everything needed for work in an easy to find a place such as by the door. Create a list of things that have to be done and check them off as they are completed. It is okay to delegate household tasks to other members of the family. Being organized will make life much easier and free up time to do other family activities.
Communication with the Company
Do not be afraid to speak to people in the human resource department and find out if the company has certain options for working parents. Some companies will agree to certain arrangements. Depending on the type of work that the woman does, some companies may offer work from home options for even part of the work week. Some companies will even offer flex time or a flexible schedule. If a woman can complete her forty-hour work week in four days, she may be able to have an extra day off. Some companies will be flexible with hours at work as long as the tasks get completed. Try to be as honest as possible. Children get sick, and many employers understand if a woman has to take a day or two off to care for her children. Working with the employer will make the woman happier at both works and home.
Conclusion
Working moms should not feel guilty that they want to do well in their career. There are many little things that the family can help with to make sure daily tasks are taken care of. If a woman takes pride in the fact that she is a working mom, everything will fall into place and everyone will feel better about it. I hope you find these solutions for working mothers helpful in setting perspective and creating action plans.
Resources:
The Work At Home Woman Legit Work From Home Jobs