Here is my list of 10 things that suck about being a working mom. To me, the things that suck are obvious. I try to stay positive and remind myself why I work. So to balance out the negative, I also included my list of 6 things that rock.
10 Things That Suck About Being a Working Mom
1. Needing more time in the day
Between work, running errands, feeding the family, trying to stay fit, and trying to keep our house relatively clean, there is really not enough time in the day to do much else. I try to spend time with my husband and son at night, but it’s always at the expense of whatever chore I feel like I should be doing instead. When you throw sleep into the mix, there really is no way to do it all.
2. Missing baby
I think this is a pretty obvious one. When I am at work, I miss my son. I know that he is well taken care of, but I miss the days when I was able to take the time to play with him and just enjoy his company.
3. Pumping
Breastfeeding becomes much harder when you are not able to spend the days with your baby. For me, the challenge of breastfeeding as a working mom was just too much, and I wasn’t able to keep going. You can read more about that here. Either way, I don’t think that any moms enjoy taking that much time out of our work days to pump. Pumping is the one thing on this list that literally sucks.
4. Not being able to take care of the house
I have tried to come to terms with the fact that my house is just never as clean as I wish it could be. I have found that breaking my chores into small daily lists makes it much easier to stay on top of the minimum things that need to be done. The more detailed cleaning activities just don’t happen as often as I would like them to anymore.
5. Being distracted at work
Does anyone else suffer from terrible mom brain at work? I have no attention span for anything anymore! As soon as I try to get into a new work task, my mind goes to the grocery list or my todo list when I get home. Focusing has become a ridiculous challenge in itself!
6. Paying for childcare
According to Time.com, the average cost for one child at a childcare center in the US is $196/week. That adds up to $10,192 per year – that is definitely not a small amount of money! It’s hard to feel motivated to work when such a huge percentage of my income just pays for me to go to work.
7. Planning for the unexpected
When you’re a mom, you are always ready for the unexpected, right?? What happens when your child gets sick, but you have to go to work? What about when your furnace stops working in December and someone has to be home for the repair man? Things pop up, and trying to take care of these things around your work schedule can be a pain in the butt.
8. Getting ready for work
Speaking of the unexpected, mornings with kiddos can be rough. You can have the greatest most efficient routine down to the minute, and then one day your baby’s sleep schedule changes. Just getting out the door in the morning can ruin my whole day some days.
9. Scheduling appointments
In addition to the unexpected doctor visits, your whole family will have routine appointments to get to. Most doctors offices, dentists, eye doctors, etc, are only open during regular office hours – there goes your PTO.
10. Not having any downtime after work
Before my son was born, I would get home from work and have some time to relax. Now, I get home, feed us all, squeeze in some chores, and then watch some TV while chasing him around and trying to have a conversation with my husband. On bath nights, we don’t even get to the stressful TV watching. By the time that we get the baby to bed, I am ready to sleep myself!
6 Things that Rock About Being a Working Mom
1. That smile you get when your child is excited to see you
As much as it sucks to leave your baby, that feeling of excitement that comes when you walk in the room is priceless. I get it from my son when I get him out of bed in the morning and when I pick him up from the babysitter’s house after work. That smile is the best part of each day.
2. The extra income
Obviously, the extra income is a nice perk. Taking care of a little one comes with added costs, and unfortunately, single income households are few and far between these days. Hopefully your income is able to help relieve some financial stress from your family.
3. Your own sense of accomplishment
When you’re a parent, you take pride in every small accomplishment that your child makes. At the same time, it can be hard to find a sense of accomplishment outside of your child. Having a job gives you goals and accomplishments of your own.
4. Time to yourself
It seems funny that going to an office full of people will feel more like alone time than the time spent at home with just your kiddo. There’s just something to be said about the ability to go to the bathroom without having to plan for someone else’s life while you are in there.
5. Adult interaction
On the opposite side of getting alone time, social interaction is much more available at work than at home. We all love the company of our children, but an infant is just not the best conversationalist. Being around adults and being social can be a nice change.
6. Setting a good example
By going to work each day, you are setting a good example of work ethic for your children. Your little ones will see you go to work each day and know that going to work is a sacrifice worth making.
There you have it. Being a working mom can definitely suck sometimes, but there definitely benefits that go along with that. Thank God for coffee and good babysitters!
Fellow working moms – What is your favorite part of being a working mom? What sucks the most?
