Working Mom2

The Working Mom Juggling Act

Juggling diapers and day planners, bottles and business meetings – the struggles of new working moms are endless. Striving to find the delicate balance between all the things on your plate is oftentimes overwhelming.

Many working moms share the sentiments of Amanda Lewandowski, mom of three from Foley, Minn. "I feel like I have to be Supermom," she says. "I need to clean the house, do the laundry, make supper, be a good wife, yet tend to every need of the children, all while working 40 hours a week. There just isn't enough time in a day. Am I spending enough time with my children? Are they getting everything they need from me? Are they being taken care of well enough when I'm at work?"

	Striving to find the delicate balance between all the things on your plate is oftentimes overwhelming.

The daily battle of the working mom is full of both stress and surprises. However, there are a few things you can do to make your job a little more manageable and create pockets of time to spend with your baby.

Be Realistic

Having a baby changes your life. You're twice as busy as you were before, and you can only spread yourself so thin. Evaluate the expectations you have of yourself to see if they are still realistic as the working mother of an infant.

Working Mom

Working Mom

When you are building a family and a career outside of the home, you live in two very different worlds. The corporate world has expectations that are totally different and sometimes counterproductive to your family's expectations. Can you balance both? Are there ways to make it easier on everyone involved? Find out in the information below

For many single parents, life is a balancing act between work and parenting. Melanie Watson knows this firsthand. After coming home from the office, this single mother takes care of her son. At night, she works as a freelance writer and researcher. "Normally, I do this after my son is in bed," Watson says, but moonlighting can be difficult. "Some assignments mean I am also working weekends and during hours when he is awake. My son knows that if I can work, we can go on vacation," she says. "But it is hard."

The Importance of Play

Over the past few years, the concept of quality family time has received a lot of attention. Although this is essential to a successful family, few parents realize that playtime is as important to the well-being of their children. In an age where more people work from home, however, balancing work and play is a real challenge, particularly for single parents. When faced with pressing work, all too often adults must put off playtime until later.

	Over the past few years, the concept of quality family time has received a lot of attention.

"Playtime is extremely important to a child's social and emotional development," says Dr. Alice S. Honig, professor emeritus of child development at Syracuse University, N.Y. "When parents play, children learn the importance of following rules, taking turns and paying attention to what the other person is saying and doing. Kids whose parents play with them feel secure knowing how important they are to their family."