You may have seen the previews for the new movie, “I Don’t Know How She Does It.”It’s a movie, fiction, meant to give working moms something to relate to. A working mom, juggling her job and home life, seeks to be genuinely happy. The ending isn’t something all moms can just do. It got me thinking, how do YOU do it? How do normal moms, moms that don’t have nannies and tons of money, keep their job, marriage and children balanced. How do YOU find happiness?
You may not realize it, but women make up about 50 percent of the workforce. It isn’t just single moms working full time, 79 percent of couples are dual-earners, both mom and dad are working full time and running a home and parenting. Seventy-five percent of employed parents feel they don’t have enough time with their children and 63 percent of working couples feel they don’t have enough time with their partners. With statistics like these, how can we not feel burnt out and used up?
I found working full-time, outside the home wasn’t worth it for my family. My husband is in a job where he travels a lot. During the last six years he was gone an average of 8 months every single year. Thankfully, we didn’t need my income so we decided that I would be a stay at home mom. Our kids needed one parent who was always there and it was me. I was able to find a job that allowed me to work from home and I’ve been able to set up my own hours, that worked for me. I realize I’m super blessed and this isn’t the case for many families. I did have to set up boundaries.
Many moms who work need to learn to set ground rules for how work and home intersect. I found that I needed to set hours for myself, sometimes I would find myself working in the middle of the afternoon when the kids needed me. I banned the computer from my bedroom. When it was so close I found myself just jumping on to check one thing.
How do you balance your family, relationship, and work? Have you set boundaries for yourself?
