Balancing Work-Life Balance
Working moms raise your hands!
I know I’m not the only working mom out there that is constantly trying to determine a balance between one’s lifestyle and work. I travel a few times a month for work, and because my husband is on second shift, this creates some headaches as I have to find people to help care for our son while I’m gone. The end of this month will be particularly difficult as I’m headed to New York for 2 nights, 3 days. I will have to ask some family to help get him home from daycare and care for him until Jason gets home. It’s not easy being away from my son or husband for that amount of time, but since it’s a requirement of my job, there isn’t room for protest.
Sometimes I think about how it would feel to be a stay-at-home mom. I could be with my son all day every day. I could teach him so many things and create memories that I may not be able to create because of my busy work schedule. But then I think how important it is for him to attend daycare and interact with other kids his age. I like that he is learning things daily, so to pull him out of that would be selfish. Plus, I’ve always worked. I delivered shopper papers before the age of 10 and had a job at the age of 15, so I’ve been working for a long time. I’m not sure I could stop working after all of these years.
On the flip side of that, I have an unsettling amount of guilt leaving my son for days at a time. I feel burdensome to my family members and husband who have to care for my son when I travel or attend after work events. I want to be that mother who is there for her son each and every day. I want to be the mother who doesn’t miss things when I’m away from him. I missed his first laugh, and I don’t want to miss anything more.
What’s the balance? Where does it start and where does it end? That’s the question. I’m a first time mom, so I haven’t figured out that balance yet, that line between work and life balance. Will it ever really be established? Things are constantly changing, so the likelihood of there being any amount consistency is slim, but I’m sure that IF and WHEN Jason gets onto first shift, that’ll certainly help the cause. I’ll pray for that to happen sooner rather than later.
Until then, I’ll keep on doing my thing the best that I possibly can. I’ll continue teaching my son and giving him my attention and love. And even though, Jason and I don’t see each other that much, it is my goal to balance work-life to the best of my ability while being a successful business professional, caring wife and doting mother.
Other mothers, how did you tackle and overcome work-life balance?
