Becoming a working mom: Am I the only one feeling the tinges of guilt while I juggle?

This summer I began to feel the tinges of being a working mom. And it was really hard for me to reconcile.

But, then again, quitting my job to become a mom, and then being that mom was hard for me, too.

Let me back up. But just a bit.

We aren’t going back to all of the adjusting to being a mom  stuff in the first place. But I will say that before I was a mom I LOVED my full time job. I got to be the PR Director for the Children’s Museum of Houston and I LOVED that job. I loved writing press releases. I love pitching stories. I loved learning the subject matter of every exhibit and sharing it with reporters. I loved being interviewed on TV, on the radio and in print. And I loved designing the museum’s first website. (Yes, 11 years ago.)

Did I say I loved my job? I did. And almost anywhere I went, someone had something to say about it and every now and then I was ‘recognized’ and felt a tiny bit of celebrity. (Okay a super tiny bit. I wasn’t really a celebrity. But it was fun to have people look at me and think they knew me but not know why and then I’d  say “Did you watch Neighborhood Weather on Channel 2 this morning?” and then they’d say “yes!” and realize I was the one playing with all those exhibits or whatever.)

So when my life changed from being the one who had a cool job where people liked to talk to me, to the one holding a baby spitting up on me and who didn’t have anyone around to have grown-up conversations with all day, it took some adjusting. A lot.

And now, this summer, 11 years later, the tables turned again.

No, I didn’t head back to full time employment in the traditional sense. But, in addition to three blogs, I have been building a business with my husband as my advisor for about two years now. This summer things started to get more intense, more real and a whole lot more work needed to be done.

So we paid for wonderful babysitters whom we have loved and trusted for many years to take our children to do many of the fun things I had been doing with them until this summer. I needed to get work done. And that was what had to happen, unless I wanted to attempt to exist without sleep. (That’s never a good idea.)

But handing money to a babysitter and asking her to take my daughter ice skating, or all three of my children out to mini golf, or to get frozen yogurt or go shopping at the bookstore was really awkward for me.

My husband reminded me that this is just one season, that this is what needs to happen now, and he is right. But it was still awkward for me.

I hated missing out, but I also felt very thankful that I had the means to do that so I could get work done and my kids could still have a blast. And I was also thankful that we had plenty of good times together throughout the summer, too.

And I don’t think I’m alone in this feeling. Am I?

For all you moms out there juggling work and motherhood, whether you work out of your home or in your home, I’d love to hear from you. How do you juggle? Do you feel these icky tinges? And how do you reconcile guilt and everything else that comes with that juggling?

This is a no judgement zone. And I’d love to hear your thoughts and stories and tips, if you’re up for sharing.

Anyone else out there trying to juggle, too?

 


Comments

3 responses to “Becoming a working mom: Am I the only one feeling the tinges of guilt while I juggle?”

  1. I wouldn’t say what I feel is guilt. Right now I am working part time (30 hrs a week) and my hubby also works part time (about 15). We do this because we can’t afford daycare and my hubby is willing to be a stay at home dad for now. I really enjoy my job, but I MISS my son every day and if I could I would stay home. I am not guilty about it. I know he is being well cared for and loved by my hubby. And we HAVE to do it this way to stay afloat. My job pays more, so I am the main provider right now. I just wish I could be home with him. I miss playing. I miss taking care of my home and having it actually be neat on a regular basis. I miss getting to snuggle with my kiddo in the morning instead of rushing off to work. I miss the crazy lunches we used to fix. I miss teaching him to read and write and learn his numbers. I try to take as much time with him as I can. We sit together before I leave for work and read a book or just talk. I put him to bed each night, listening to his questions. I get in as many hugs and kisses as I can. So, not guilt, just missing being at home, caring for my boy and man and providing a clean, warm, healthy home. (because while my hubs is not messy, he just doesn’t quite get the cleaning up each day thing, lol)

  2. JessieLeigh Avatar
    JessieLeigh

    I believe, from the bottom of my heart, that most (or maybe all) moms feel guilt, no matter what choices we make or what season we are in. (This definitely includes me.) That makes me super sad, but it’s true. It is simply impossible to be and do everything all at once, yet women have been taught to believe that we SHOULD be able to. Though our intelligence and logic tell us differently, we all have that unattainable standard embedded deep within us.

    On the happy flip-side, I also believe that most moms– including you!– are doing excellent jobs and working very hard to make good choices for their families– even when those choices look different. :)

  3. Jessica Fisher Avatar
    Jessica Fisher

    Right there with you, my friend. My biggest tinge is that my younger ones aren’t having the same childhood as my older ones did. But, my older ones also didn’t have big brothers to play with them, etc, either.

    I’ve come to the realization that life is full of constant reevaluation and making sure I know what the big rocks are.

    With a large family, it’s easy for me to forget that I haven’t taught the younger ones all the things that I taught the older ones. That’s one of my current rocks: to make sure I’m not neglecting their “education” in certain areas, from big things like knowledge of God to small things like hygiene, table manners, etc. If I have some priorities identified and handled, that makes it easier to work on other things.

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