I love being a working mom. But this doesn’t mean the life of a working mom is picture perfect and stress-free! Sadly, you have developed these working moms’ bad habits and you need to stop them right now!
Don’t believe me, continue reading.
Society has these expectations about us working moms that honestly is unfair and we need to stop. This mommy war about staying at home mom vs working moms and it’s simply just ridiculous.
But we are not here to read about that debate, you are here about these dumb bad habits us working mom develop because, like me, you want to know what they are and get rid of them.
Here’s the thing. There’s nothing wrong with my job, I love what I do, and it has helped me take care of my family. I am thankful and grateful that I can provide for my family when many others are looking for work or hate their jobs.
Since becoming a working mom, over 15 years ago, I have developed what I call “working mom bad habits.”
I am a proud working mom and you should be one too, but mamas once you learn these habits you will understand where I am coming from.
There are three bad working mom bad habits that I was guilty of, and many of you as well. As you read this, you will recognize them and know exactly what I am talking about.
Don’t be afraid of what these bad habits are. We are going to overcome them!
WORKING MOM BAD HABITS
1. TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING
Name a mom that does it all. And I will bet you that she doesn’t. Why are you trying to do it all when is not even possible?
You are a mom.
You are a wife.
You are a daughter.
You are NOT superhuman. You are not wondermom.
Trying to do everything takes you away from what it is important.
Look, you are already away working why come home and try to do everything. Focusing on doing everything and missing out on things like family time and other important thing is a working mom bad habit we fall into.
And what exactly is the “everything” you are trying to do? I tell you that I will carter and did everything only to go to bed feeling like I accomplished nothing.
Bad feeling in the world.
So, how do we stop this working mom bad habit? How do we stop ourselves from trying to do it all?
We don’t! We don’t have to do it all.
This is what I do in my home. As a working mom, the best way to reduce stress in caring for your family is to delegate chores and household responsibilities.
It’s an overwhelming responsibility to try to do everything yourself. I thought I was helping my kids and my husband by trying to do everything.
Only, it wasn’t fair to me…or them.
My kids need to learn responsibility and how to perform basic tasks. My husband deserves to be my partner, not just someone I would complain to when everything became overwhelming.
Moms feel like they have to do everything. But, there is no reason to feel guilty asking for help with laundry, meal planning, or just needing time to yourself. What’s the answer?
Delegate!
Posts you are going to love:
2. NOT DOING ANYTHING FOR MYSELF
When was the last time you did something for you?
Ever had one of those days when you just want to run and hide? You can’t take another moment of being an adult.
You’re tired of answering questions, preparing another meal, and filling everyone else’s needs?
The reason you get to the point where you want to hide and feel like you have just had enough is that you didn’t take care of you!
Not making plans to do anything for you is essential!
I didn’t take time for me because I was too busy trying to do it all and feeling guilty.
Oh, guilty feelings?
More about guilt next but let’s talk more about working moms doing more themselves.
To help with this try these:
- do something creative
- pamper yourself
- choose to be happy even when you don’t feel like it
- nurture your friendships
Posts you are going to love:
- 10 Places to Hide When the Kids Won’t Leave You Alone
- Get the Me Time You Deserve
- How to Get Enough Sleep
3. FEELING GUILTY FOR WORKING
Now for the guilt.
Every mom feels guilty about something and to be honest this has to stop.
I am a working mom.
I am proud to be a working mom.
I love my job.
Why am I feeling guilty that I am not spending enough family when society is expecting moms to stay at home and raise their kids.
I’m supposed to say that I want to be the one at home taking care of my kids – not my mother in law, a preschool, or a public school.
There it is again, society expectations!
Look, stay at home moms feel guilty, too.
Just read about my friend Joyce’s stay at home mom bad habits to hear about hers.
Why feel guilty about something that you love and that has to be done?
Many moms have no choice but to work and the same respect should be given to any mom, whether they work or not.
As moms, we have enough to feel guilty about and being a working mom should not be one.
Being a working mom helps me to be a better employee and a better mom.
I learn skills at work that I can apply at home like budgeting, delegating, and teamwork. I also have experience, as a mom, that I can bring to work like being a leader, taking responsibility, multitasking, and learning the most efficient way to get something done with limited resources.
I used to experience guilt associated with being a working mom when my kids were between ages 3-5 because they start to realize that you’re gone and sometimes ask you to stay home or want to come with you. Now it’s normal, so it’s easier to deal with. I work because I have to, so there’s not much I can do about that.
The most important thing I try to do is be focused, no matter which place I’m in. (Work at work and be home at home. ) I know sometimes they overlap, but the more I keep boundaries, the better I am at each “job” (mom or employee).
If you are a work at home mom, don’t fall into bad habits either.
Posts you are going to love:
- A Day in the Life of a Working Mom (series)
- Working Moms Guide to Guilt-Free Spending
- Three Little Insider Tips About Hiring a Housekeeper (Guilt-Free!)
These three bad habits are so true and so tightly woven together. I find my guilt about going to work tends to make me want to do everything to prove to some invisible group of people that I can. And that guilt gets in the way of taking care of myself, too. But day by day I’m learning to do better. If I do better by me, then I can do better by children, my job, my husband, and the world. There is no invisible audience judging me. There is no army ready to tell me I’m doing it all wrong. We are all finding our way day by day.