What Really is Work-Mom Balance?
What is the definition of work-life balance? And is that truly even attainable?
Dictionary.com defines this phrase as…
A situation in which one divides or balances one’s time between work and activities out of work.
OK so how many people think they equally balance work life and parenting life? If you do, kudos. Also, buy a cape because you are officially a superhero.
As a career-driven mom, this is a battle I face constantly. Some days I think, “I’m killing this mom thing, but is my career keeping up?” Other days are met with, “We nailed that marketing campaign, but will the guilt of seeing my child as the last one left in his daycare classroom at the end of the day ever fade?”
Working parents can I get an Amen.
When it came to deciding what we would do once my husband and I decided to begin our family, I never once thought about not going back to work. As I sit here 15+ months after having our son, I still feel the same way.
Everyone’s situation is different when it comes to making this decision, and when the time came for us I knew in order for me to be the best mom I could, I needed to continue pursuing my career. This probably doesn’t make sense to some, and I would expect that, but hopefully some of you reading this are shaking your heads up and down in relatability.
Now don’t get me wrong, there’s no doubt in my mind that the best things I’ve done in my life have been tricking my husband into marrying me and having our son, but my career has given me this outlet that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. With our situation, daycare was the given next step when my maternity leave ended, and although we found an absolutely amazing place, this change came with a whole new level of flexibility I’ve had to embrace.
When you start your workday, you may do something similar to me, which is take a few minutes to plan out the day, as best you can, before diving in. So, what do you do when you get that unexpected phone call in the middle of the day with daycare’s number coming up on your caller ID? Does anyone else think, “oh crap?” I feel awful even writing that, but isn’t it the truth?
Being in full-blown work mode when this happens, you immediately think to yourself, “OK, what does my afternoon look like? Can I switch around that meeting?” It’s a reality working parents with kids in daycare face, especially when these amazing little people hit that age where every single thing in a room somehow ends up in their mouths. (In our house we look at this as building a rock solid immune system and training for perfect attendance in grade school.) So even with a big meeting in the afternoon and a deadline hanging over your head, it’s time to be mommy again, and that’s a job I will ALWAYS welcome no matter the situation.
So, how do we do it then? How do we achieve this work-parenting balance?
Maybe the balance is really just being able to do both well. You might not be kicking butt and taking names at work (or you might) and you might not be changing the diapers of a future 4.0 Harvard graduate (or you might), but at the end of the day, you are a really good professional who provides value to your clients and company, and you have a kid that is going to turn into this really awesome person... even if eating glue is their hobby for now. And isn’t that really what it’s all about?
I love my job and I love my family, but I also know that the attention both are paid will never be equal or balanced. But as I sit in a rocking chair humming our little guy to sleep each night, it reminds me that the job title of “Mommy” is easily my favorite.