I was a public school educator for 12 years. I have memories of being successful and well respected. Working while pregnant, taking maternity leave, and transitioning back to work went more smoothly than I expected. I currently prefer to be a work from home parent but working mom life was the right choice for my family for several years.
If you are wondering whether Working Mom Life is the right choice for you, let’s look at the Pros and Cons together.
6 Pros of Working Mom Life
You likely already have some PROS in mind if you are reading this blog post. Let’s see if they are the same as mine!
- Role model. You show your children that both parents work and that both parents care for the home. You show them your interests and talents are larger than the four walls of their home and give them a glimpse into your life before kids.
- Feeling of accomplishment and identity. Sometimes it is nice to get dressed up in the morning and slay a challenging task at work. It feels good to be noticed and accomplish things outside of your identity as a mom.
- Career options. When your resume tells a story of growth through the profession without gaps, an interview panel would have to ask directly to know if you have children at home.
- Financial stability. With two working parents in the
home you might have some breathing room anddisposible income. You likely will be on a path towards saving for retirement and have a plan for insurance. This can eliminate a lot of stress, both short-term and long-term. - Mental escape. Being home with children for the full 24 hours can be draining. Stepping out for a change of scenery and even listening to a podcast or audiobook for a short commute can make a world of difference in your mental health.
- Social circle. You often hear about the benefits of children having the opportunity to socialize and share and interact with children the same age while you work outside of the home. I think it is also important to point out the benefits of your social circle at work. Office parties, breakroom conversations, and networking with like-minded individuals are an underappreciated facet of the working mom puzzle.
5 Cons of Working Mom Life
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows as a Working Mom. It’s important to think through these things and reflect about how you feel about them before trying out this lifestyle.
- Guilt. When you are at work, you wonder what moments in your child’s life you are missing out on. When you are with your family, you feel like you are falling behind at work. Everywhere you turn you feel like a failure despite working hard.
- Stress. You can’t escape the stress from work because stress from home is waiting to greet you as soon as you arrive. You are carrying the weight of two worlds on your shoulders at all times.
- Rigid schedule. When a last moment school event comes up or a child is crying or sick, you sometimes have to peel yourself away and go to work. You wish you could drop everything and hug and snuggle and cheer from the
50 yard line, but deadlines and meetings are real and you can’t jeopardize your job. You often have to make tough choices with a pit in your stomach because your schedule doesn’t have a lot of flexibility. - Concentration. There is no chance of having a quick nap after a long night up taking care of a sick or scared child. That exhaustion combined with worrying if your child is OK in your chosen care environment makes it hard to concentrate on your work task and do
high quality work. - Miss opportunities. Sometimes friends invite you to an event and you can’t attend because it is during your
work day . It seems like everywhere you look there is an event that your children would really enjoy participating in, but it is while you are at work and you can’t take them.
I have been through seasons of life as a Stay At Home Mom, A Working Mom, and a Work At Home Mom and there are pros and cons of all of these roles. NONE of them are easy and the right answer for you is a very personal decision. If you found this to be a helpful read, share it with a friend! You may also enjoy reading:
If you would like some help making the decision that is right for you, grab this FREE WORKBOOK. Is being a working mom the right choice for you? I have been at this crossroad and it is a HARD decision but once I found the perfect fit for me it was a game changer. I wake up each morning truly excited about what is on my Google Calendar and I know you can get there too.
