Mommy The Journalist: February 2018

Motherhood comes with a lot of sacrifices already. Throw a career into the mix and things get tricky. I've written before about working mom guilt. It's something I feel pretty often, but unless you are a mother, or single father, who is trying to divide their time between a career and kids, you will never understand the struggle. That's why I've come up with this list of things that I'm sure all working moms have experienced on some level to hopefully give you a little insight into this lifestyle.

1. You’re in a constant state of tired - whether it's from getting up every few hours with a newborn, staying up all night with a sick toddler, staying up late to catch up on chores, or lying awake all night thinking about your to-do list.

2. You feel guilty about how little time you spend with your kids and husband. In my house, I get to spend maybe three hours a day with my family, and we only get two weekends a month together.

3. You also feel guilty about work stuff, like leaving early to pick up a sick child from school/daycare or not being able to stay late during an "emergency."

4. You miss a lot of “firsts” in those early years.

5. Housework and your to-do list never seem to get done.

6. You’ve probably went to work and had to leave your sick child with a grandparent or other relative.

7. Or you've burned a vacation day to take care of a sick child or to cover your child’s daycare or school closing.

8. You’ve been late picking your child up from daycare or the babysitter.

9. You have to make special arrangements weeks in advance anytime you have to work overtime or a different shift.

10. You’ve had to bring your child to work, even if it’s just for a few hours, because you had no one to keep them and just couldn’t miss. Talk about productivity levels going down.

11. You’ve probably been made to feel like you have to choose between your job and your kid. This may or may not be intentional. I hope it's not.

12. You’ve probably worked on holidays and had to miss family celebrations, like the 4th of July or Thanksgiving or even Christmas (eve).

13. School parties don't even make it on your calendar.

Despite the struggles and sacrifices of being a working mom, I wouldn't change it. I love my job and honestly feel called to do it. And maybe this is shallow, but to be a stay-at-home mom would mean sacrificing a lot of material things that make me happy and living a lot more frugally than I want to. Sure, it can be frustrating navigating the working world's sea of misunderstanding about what it takes to be a mom, but motherhood doesn't make me any less capable. In fact, I feel like motherhood has made me better.

I know there are more working mom truths out there. Share yours in the comments below!