The Working Mom
Parenting Advice: 10 Tips for Juggling Work and Home Life.
Every parenting blog or mom blog out there has plenty of parenting advice on how to make cute crafts with kids. But blogs for moms often miss out on a huge segment of the parenting population…working moms.
Whether you work from home or in an office elsewhere, you’re always pulling double-duty. According to Market Watch, dads get more time to relax than working moms. If you’re a working mom in need of parenting advice that speaks to you on this double-standard, keep reading for 10 tips that will help you take the struggle out of juggling work and home life.
Top 10 parenting tips for the working mom
- Stop feeling guilty about working
Here’s the best parenting advice of all: you’re not abandoning your kids by working. Whether your office is inside your house or it’s a 20-mile commute away, moms seem to get all the shame when no one says a word about working dads. Not every mom has the option to stay home with their kids and do those mom blog crafts all day. And further, not every mom wants to forfeit her career just because she became a mom. Dads don’t have to, and if you want to climb your way to the top of your career, you should never feel guilty about it.
- Get things ready the night before
Every mom knows that as soon as you have to hurry out the door in the morning, there’s a missing shoe or one child is moving slower than a sloth to gather their things. Instead, have the kids help you get it done the night before. Lay out outfits, pack up the lunches, and get everything in order. Then you can enjoy even more time being together once there’s nothing to stress about.
- Make use of technology
As a working mom your plate is already overflowing. Here’s more of the best parenting advice you’ll ever get…use technology to free up your time. You can easily take that free time you have left at the end of your day or week and spend it shuffling through the supermarket and running errands. Or you can have those things delivered and enjoy putting your feet up and watching a family movie together.
- Put emphasis on family time
Everyone in your household has a schedule which might make it a small miracle you can all be at the dinner table together every night. However, once a week, you should take a page from blogs for moms and do a family game night, movie night, or even an outing for something simple, like ice cream or mini golf. Let the kids pitch in with ideas too. It will be fun and bring you all closer together.
- Use scheduling tools to help keep things organized
There are so many calendars and scheduling tools you can use, it’s enough to make your head spin. The best one for you is the one that is easiest for you to use and display for the family. Put all afterschool activities, meetings, events, and other important things on there and you’ll have the whole home organized at a glance. If your kids are older, put them in charge of things like updating the grocery list and handling chores to lessen your load. And should cleaning get out of hand, consider hiring a cleaning service. It’s money well-spent if you get more time with the ones you love. 
- Don’t overbook your free time
Kids need to learn how to be bored every now and then. You shouldn’t stress yourselves out planning on afterschool activities every day or outings all day every day of the weekend. That down-time is precious. Don’t overbook it and show your kids that there are blessings in not having every detail scheduled to the max.
- Stop pressuring yourself
Some of the mom blogs out there would have you believe you need to make perfect dinners every night, keep the house spotless, and be a Stepford Wife. Life isn’t perfect though, and it’s messy and chaotic. Thrive with that chaos. So you forgot to take out the chicken for tonight’s dinner. Make tonight your takeout night instead. Learn to roll with things and lower your expectations of what “perfect” should look like.
- Take time to just be yourself
Moms always seem to sacrifice who they are in some capacity. Why should you? You’re the same person, you just have kids and a job. Enrich yourself for your own inner harmony, even if it’s just 10 minutes a day, to take care of yourself. Slather on a mud mask and read that book that’s been collecting dust on your nightstand. Take a hot bath. Schedule a friend-date over coffee or dinner. Filling up your cup makes you a better mom and worker.
- Join other working moms
While being a working mom might make you feel like you’re the only one going through it, you’re not. Find those other working moms who you can meet with either for playdates or to have someone to talk to about working and balancing life at home. Mom groups in your local area can be found on Meetup or even using Facebook too.
- You CAN have it all
The best of both worlds with working and being a mom is possible. All you need to do is find that balance. For every mom, it’s different. There are different careers and schedules, plus kids of varying ages. Implement balance and you’ll feel better when it comes to work and family.
Life is seldom the way you picture it. Instead of going for what you think is fairytale perfect, know when to let go and just go with it to create a harmonious balance of work and family life.
