Have you ever felt guilty when you had to drop your little one off at daycare? Or maybe you felt sick to your stomach when you realized that your daughter’s recital was the same day you had to fly out of town to attend a week-long work conference… All you can think of is the look of disappointment on her face when you have to explain to her how you won’t be able to see her perform but you’re going to make it up to her.
Disappointing your kids is one of the worst parts of being a mom but it hurts a little more as a working mom. It hurts more because, in your defense, you’re working to help provide for your family, so in your mind, you’re doing some good and contributing to the household. In the same token, why does providing for your family feel like it comes at a heavy cost?
Well, the reality of being a working mom does come at a cost so don’t beat yourself up about it… it’s all about your work/life balance and finding one that works for you. Notice, the key thing is finding one that’s right for you… according to businessnewsdaily.com, one of the keys to improving your work/life balance is understanding that there is no perfect work/life balance. If you can know and understand that, your mom guilt will slowly fade away. So, just know that if you’re a working mom, you’re going to have good times and bad times, and that’s okay… it comes with the territory.
Lots of moms will choose to start a home-based business thinking that it will give them more time to spend with the baby but it indeed does the exact opposite… that’s one of the best pieces of advice a mompreneur can give you. Moms tend to think that because they’re at home that they can love on their baby all day and that’s not the case at all.
If you’re going to run a home-based business, you have to treat it like a business, meaning you need to set working hours, invest in marketing, and especially business insurance, for protection of your professional integrity… working from home isn’t going to get rid of or prevent mom guilt; you’re going to experience it just like working moms who commute to work each day but there are some ways to put being a working mom into a positive perspective.
If you’re a working mom, whether you work from home or commute to the office, stop beating yourself up over your ambition to provide for your family… instead, tell yourself these inspiring and motivational things.
“It’s okay to enjoy going to work”
Working is the biggest reason why moms feel mom guilt but they feel even more guilty if they enjoy working when they feel they should be with their little one. Well, here’s the thing, whether you’re working because you want to or because your family’s budget won’t allow you not to, it’s way better to be working and enjoy the work you do than to be working and hate what you do…
Remember, working is for a living so a helpful way to think of working is would you rather enjoy working knowing your little one is at childcare or would you rather hate working knowing your little one is at childcare but you can’t not work? So enjoy that cup of coffee on your way to work and chuckle at the office gossip!
“You’re helping your child grow as a person”
When children hit toddler age, they look to you for approval or disapproval of their behavior. Well, when you start working and need to leave them in the care of someone else, they’re going to need to make their own decisions on whether or not they should do a certain thing. In their minds, they know that they can or shouldn’t do certain things but they don’t have you there to look at for approval. So the reality is that you’re helping your child make good decisions whether you’re there or not, and that’s something to be very proud of.
“In your absence, you’re making someone else happy”
As a working mom, there are definitely going to be times where you’re not going to be able to make an event that your child is participating in. Does it disappoint you? Yes. Does it disappoint your child? Most definitely. But just because you can’t make it doesn’t mean that they can ‘t have support in their event. If your child has an event that you can’t make, ask your friends or family members to support them in your place.
“Mommy’s not going to be able to make it to your recital but guess who’s going to be there to see you!”
By delivering the disappointing news in a positive light, the “disappointing news” isn’t so disappointing because they still have a support system to look forward to seeing.
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