Life is a constant balancing act. Especially true for the working moms. I can vouch for this; I am a mother of two little princesses. Trying to juggle our career, duties as a wife, plus relations with inlaws, and the responsibilities to our children can be challenging and overwhelming.
Here’s a compilation of the tips I received from other brilliant mums which I find most helpful on effectively coping with the pressures and demands of a mummy’s hectic life:
- Separate our family time and office time. Wearing too many hats at the same time is exhausting. Why not pick one at a time.
Being in so many roles, we need to be as rounded as possible. Set proper boundaries to provide adequate attention to each of our parts. No scheduling solution is perfect, but the effort alone will pay dividends in our stress level and effectiveness as a parent, wives, mum and career women.
When we’re in the office, concentrate on work. Similarly, leave work at work when we come home for the evening and give our family undivided attention. We’ll be able to focus and get more done in less time and feel so much less stressed. - Make plans with our kids for the weekend. Allow the kids to choose the activity they wish on the weekend. This communication is valuable to our children. They know that they’re important to us. During this time, focus exclusively on them and enjoy our time together. Quality time spent together is priceless.
- Enjoy dinner together as a family. Discuss our day and enjoy family togetherness over an evening meal by putting distracting gadgets away during time spent with our family so work cannot interfere. Mealtime will be more peaceful and effective.
- Show your children what you do. Let your children know about your career, why it’s important to you, and why it’s important to them. Seriously I find this the most crucial point. Not just to our kids but to ourselves too. Have you experienced the “working mum guilt”? I do. <br>
When I talk to the more rounded mum, they always advise me to remember that what we want is essential. When we are not happy and feel miserable and stuck at home, the kids will be the ones who suffer most.
Don’t give up on your career quickly. Stand up for what you want in life, and try to make things work. I especially love the book “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg, I read it when I was pregnant with my first child. It is empowering and helps set the right mindset.
One child psychologist said the best way to make your kids tell you about their school life is by offering your story about your day at work. The more they know about how mom spends her day, the more accepting they’ll be of your absence while you’re at work. Also, it builds stronger bonding with your kids and opens them up to sharing their story with you. Try it and see the difference. - Take our kids to the office whenever possible. Let them see our work and learn all about what you do. It help them appreciate and respect the fact that our work time is essential too.
- Develop hobbies that you can enjoy together. If our children are passionate about something that we also love, this allows us to experience regular quality time with them and rejuvenate at the same time. Ours is a walk in the park and drawing. We will have our scrapbooks, pen and markers in our bags. We love to draw and scribble away when we are out and about. Also, the many peaceful walks amongst greeneries while exploring different parks is fantastic for us too.
- Go on a family holiday once a year. Being away from home and being in a foreign environment is memory building. Choose a place that you and your kids all agree on. Make sure the trip offers something enjoyable for everyone. Most importantly, leave office work at the office.
- Hire a helper for the household work. Delegate, delegate, delegate! If the office workload is too much or your time is spread too thin, it is time to consider hiring a maid for the household chores. Alternatively, rely on technology. Use dishwasher, floor swipe and mop robot, washing machine with dryer and timer enabled cooker. Plan our family meals, help cut down on preparation, reduce cooking time and avoid wastage.
Do whatever it takes to free up more time, and appreciate quality time with your children. Hire someone to do the mundane work or leverage on technology so you can do the most critical task of all: being a loving parent to your children.
Once my world was filled with constant chaos, following these tips brought sanity to my world. We can use our resources on the most critical priorities by planning our time carefully. With conscious effort, we can juggle our career and family life. Supermum is not a myth. So many mothers have done it. So can we. Happy mother’s day!
