Several years ago I started working at a local boutique. The owner was one of my good friends and asked if I would maybe want to work one day a week to both help her out and get out of the house. It started out as just that. Every Saturday I was a working mom without fail.
My husband was unable to understand my desire to go back to work. After all, this life, post training, was what we’d been working towards basically our entire marriage. Now, I work between 20-40 hours a week, depending on the season. I just got back from a 5 day work trip to Las Vegas and leave again in less than two weeks for New York.
Welcome to a time when mom guilt attacks and other ailments of a working mom.
Realistically, I know that mom guilt has no place in my life. I am home almost every day they’re home. My schedule and boss are incredibly flexible with our schedule. When I can’t be there for them I have an incredible tribe and support system, not to mention a husband that encourages my trips even if they do come one after the other sometimes. He barely even complains when the parental burden is fully engaged with his shoulders instead of equally yoked with mine. He does get a little salty when I send him photos of the amazing food I partake of while gone but that’s another story.
This last trip, while in between vendors, I had to rearrange transportation for my middle schoolers due to tornado watches back at home.
So, while in Las Vegas I had to split my attention between the weather.com alerts and tornado warnings from the county with my business brain, the one required to help estimate how many of these soft tie dye pants we would need this season.
The mom guilt was insidious. It instantly changed my attitude and ability to focus.
Once I knew that all of my little ducks were home safely thanks to my amazing babysitter I was able to banish those negative thoughts. Seeing their cheesy faces on FaceTime cheered me right up. When mom guilt attacks and other ailments of a working mom occur I will be prepared to banish those negative thoughts quickly and easily with a little help from my kids.
