As I’ve mentioned many times before, I enjoy being a working mom. Even before I had my daughter, I took an enormous amount of joy in
working. There’s a lot to be said in achieving and accomplishing goals that are
all mine and mine alone. There is a lot of self-fulfillment for me in working.
That said, there are the not so great parts of being a working gal now that I’m
a mom.
{ONE}
Sick/Vacation/Holiday Days // Before Chickie,
those days were all mine to do with
as I pleased. If I wanted to take a
personal day to stay home and be a vegetable it was fine. Now? No way. That
time all goes to Chickie as back-up. I live in constant fear of having enough
sick/vacation/holiday time to use in case Chickie gets sick because let’s face
it – toddlers and preschoolers are little carrier monkeys and it will
eventually happen that a dreaded sickness will hit. The good thing is that both
Michael and I work for the University so we accrue time the same way so there
isn’t that inconsistency and both of our bosses are very understanding but, still. The cold reality is that
employers nowadays are only sympathetic to a point. Having time available to
use is critical in staying out of hot water.
{TWO}
Scheduling Appointments // When your doctor’s
office is only open the standard M-F, 8-5 it makes it difficult to squeeze in
appointments for myself or Chickie with only an hour lunch. SOOO…therein lies
having enough time built up to use because an hour usually isn’t enough time to
do it all. It usually takes an hour just to get to my car, pick up Chickie, get
there, and wait to be seen let alone go through the actual appointment.
And don’t even think for a moment that you’re actually eating
lunch that day. That's comical.
{THREE}
Day Care // Ay yi yi…where to
even start with this one. It’s a whole mixed bag of things: the mommy guilt
that someone else is “raising” your child, the fact that no one will ever do a
good enough job as you will in taking care of your child and disciplining them
the way you want or would, and how on top of it all, it costs a bloody fortune.
Day care, while an important necessity, just sucks. Plain and simple.
{FOUR}
Time // There never seems
to be enough of it! Both Michael and I get off work at 5 so it’s a mad dash to
get Chickie from school, get home to get dinner done, and then have time together
before bath and bed at 7:30. You do the math…that’s only a couple of hours of
good quality time every night with Chickie. I think we do the best we can but
most days, it feels so inadequate and let's not even mention the nights that
Chickie gets picked up from school and is in a horrible mood. The witching
hour...it just makes everything more difficult and leaves us frustrated.
{FIVE}
Weekends are a HUGE Energy Drain // Neither Michael nor
I are used to running after Chickie all day like she does during the week.
Y’all, it’s downright exhausting! It’s also the Catch22 – it’s great to have
time with her but by the end of the day, we are wiped out and honestly, the
both of us are usually napping during her nap time!
Having said all of this, I wouldn’t trade my decision to work
for anything. I know that I’m definitely not stay at home mom material and that I’m a better
mom for Chickie when I’m doing things I enjoy and pursuing my own
goals/wants/wishes. I just wish there was a better balance to it all.
What have you found to be your biggest challenges as a working
mom?
