Precise Survival Guide for Working Moms – Part I
A 9-5 job has never been truly 9-5! The meetings don’t stop, the boss wants the work done a second after being assigned and those crazy deadlines getting ever so harder to meet! What a working mom gotta do but feel guilty?
A multi-tasker called Working Mom
It seems like the word, Mom is an acronym for Master of Multitasking. Toss the hectic work schedule, demanding bosses and career pressures to the mix and you can easily send a person down the sanity level! Surely working mom don’t get it easy but as the recent stats indicate, increasing number of women are pursuing careers and even being the primary breadwinner for the family. The Ladders explain how it’s like to be a working mother:
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Source: The Ladders
Career or Children?
Being a working mom myself, I can well understand that choosing between children and career can be a nerve-wracking decision. Having children results in a total spin in responsibilities and priorities and once you go ahead with having kids, there is no turning back! Since more and more women have become career-oriented, they would rather wait longer before having their first child than risking their career growth in early 30s.
Donald Super, from the National Institute for Careers, Education, and Counseling, has developed an interesting theory he calls, the theory of career development. He’s of the opinion that the ‘career developing years’ (25-45) are pretty crucial. And when a woman takes 3-month maternity leave, chances are that other unmarried women and men will leave her behind in the career. So women definitely need to weigh their options and explore what options they have. Is the promotion nearing? Is it a good time to have a baby? Can the motherhood wait a little longer? What about the biological clock? There is just too much stress involved and it’s not always a win-win situation either.
Family Vs Work: how to strike a balance?
My ordinary routine requires me to wake up at 5:30 in the morning, prepare 4 different types of breakfasts, pack lunches and then practically dragging my kids out of bed to the washroom! It’s just the beginning: followed by seeing kids off as they drive away to school with their dad and then I have to rush, get ready and leave for my office. A big mug of coffee and an ever-fuming boss is what awaits me there! Battling my way through the busy day, meetings with clients, and never-ending workload makes me feel like a worn-out mattress by the time I hit home! And now the family time starts – homework, walk, dinner and some TV shows. This is how the day ends to start it afresh. Kids can be pretty handful, too. But amidst all this clutter and chaos, you need to keep your cool; your wits intact and be there for your spouse and kids!
In the next part of this blog post, I’d be sharing what I’ve learned as a working mommy. So keep reading and if you agree with what I just said in this post, let me know in the comments section below! Happy parenting!
