Work and Family

There are days where it all becomes overwhelming, working full time, being a full-time mom and wife. I get pulled in so many directions. I want to have a successful job that helps provide for my family, but I also want to be the mom and wife that is present and available. It becomes overwhelming especially when the workplace is not family oriented. Do you feel that way?

Are there days you have to decide between keeping your job or taking care of your sick child. But, can you blame the company? They are just trying to make a profit and keep the business going. Is that what all companies have become? A place where parents are forced to chose between providing or being present in the child’s life? Is there anything that a parent can really do? It’s a feeling of being caught between a rock and a hard place. Can I really find a work-life balance in today’s society?

The Beginning

When my husband and I talked about starting a family, we never mentioned work being a problem. I guess we never thought about the times that the kids would be sick, had doctors appointments, or school/daycare closure.  We focused on shelter, food, clothing, and health insurance. Were we naive to think we could both have full time working jobs while raising a child with little family or busy family near us? Most of the parents we know are right there with us. Focusing on the obvious and most talked about necessities. 

The Truth

Honestly, I have no idea how I do it or how I will continue to do it.  My son will begin school soon, which will mean a work schedule change, needing after school or before school care and cutting it close to either work or school. I will be stretching myself thinner than ever before. Now sure, I can quit my current job and find another one with fewer hours and fewer demands, but is it fair? Is it fair that companies now do not focus on the employee ALONG with making a profit? The good employees that see a company that cares about them and their family would be in there for the long run, right?

I know as an excellent employee, that would drive me even more to be the best employee possible. It’s a constant battle in my head if I’m doing the right thing by working full time or if I should take the pay cut and be there for my son at all times. Especially on those hard work days, where I just want to hug my son and hear his laughter because I know it will make me feel better. Or on the days he is sick and as his mother, I am not the woman taking care of him. It’s a feeling of mommy guilt, regret, sadness, and frustration. I will just breathe and take it one day at a time because in the end I am a good mother and I work to provide for my son, but my family will always come first.