Many people believe that maternity leave equals to two months of holiday for a mother. Yes, you can call it a break from work in the office but it can never be a break from work. There are endless list of chores to do when one goes for her maternity leave which includes time for recuperating.
And coming back to work after that can be either an exciting time for some and daunting for most mothers.
For me, I was guilt-stricken. I felt guilty that I can’t afford to give my 100% attention and time raising my children. I felt guilty that I have to leave mommy duties to a maid. Most of all, I felt guilty that some parts of me really wants to start coming to the office.
That is why according to a survey by Pew Research Centre, only 10 percent of mothers working full-time give themselves the highest rating for their parenting and just 24 percent of mothers working part-time give themselves a 10 as a parent.
Being a working mother also means having to say sorry all the time.
"Sorry I've got to leave this conference to get my daughter from kindy..."
"Sorry I have to leave this meeting because my son is having diarrhoea..."
"Sorry I’m late for I had to pump..."
"Sorry this…sorry that...sorry, sorry, sorry."
I collected voices of other working moms and they too beat themselves real hard for not being able to be a full-time mom.
I guess that it is a common thing for working mothers, to be stricken with guilt and I am very sure that all working moms want to overcome this. The question here is how?
How does a working mother overcome this guilty feeling? How does a working mom achieve that work-life balance? Is there such thing as a work-life balance?
After three children, I believe I have successfully overcome that overwhelming guilt by telling myself (sometimes out loud) that I am always here for my family, that really, going to work equals to assisting with providing for them, equals to a way to be there for them. This is how I take comfort in that.
Here's a message to all working mothers – stop being so hard on ourselves.
And coming back to work after that can be either an exciting time for some and daunting for most mothers.
For me, I was guilt-stricken. I felt guilty that I can’t afford to give my 100% attention and time raising my children. I felt guilty that I have to leave mommy duties to a maid. Most of all, I felt guilty that some parts of me really wants to start coming to the office.
That is why according to a survey by Pew Research Centre, only 10 percent of mothers working full-time give themselves the highest rating for their parenting and just 24 percent of mothers working part-time give themselves a 10 as a parent.
Being a working mother also means having to say sorry all the time.
"Sorry I've got to leave this conference to get my daughter from kindy..."
"Sorry I have to leave this meeting because my son is having diarrhoea..."
"Sorry I’m late for I had to pump..."
"Sorry this…sorry that...sorry, sorry, sorry."
I collected voices of other working moms and they too beat themselves real hard for not being able to be a full-time mom.
I guess that it is a common thing for working mothers, to be stricken with guilt and I am very sure that all working moms want to overcome this. The question here is how?
How does a working mother overcome this guilty feeling? How does a working mom achieve that work-life balance? Is there such thing as a work-life balance?
After three children, I believe I have successfully overcome that overwhelming guilt by telling myself (sometimes out loud) that I am always here for my family, that really, going to work equals to assisting with providing for them, equals to a way to be there for them. This is how I take comfort in that.
Here's a message to all working mothers – stop being so hard on ourselves.
