So how do all of you working parents out there do it? How do you balance work with taking care of kids, fixing meals, seeing your spouse and doing laundry (forget cleaning the house my floors haven't see a vacuum in a while now)?
As I've mentioned before I have recently taken on several new activities (only one of which I'm being paid for right now, but that's a different matter); I'm working occasionally as a substitute aide in our school district, I'm training to become a yoga instructor, and I am developing a radio show for a local public radio station (more on that soon I promise). Trying to manage all of these things is wearing me out!
This past week our kids were on Spring Break. We managed a quick trip to Michigan to see relatives and then were home for the most part. My Hubby is on sabbatical this term, which means he gets to focus on research and writing and doesn't have to teach, it also means he is around a lot more. We both had to get work done during the week, and find a way to take care of the kids. We ended up divvying up the days so that I'd get to work or go to yoga class in the morning, and he'd get time to write in the afternoons. It worked out just fine, but that was with us both being able to be home and flexible. I have no idea how I would have gotten anything done at all if he had to go work in an office all day the way he used to, or if he'd have had to go in to teach.
So that leaves me wondering how other people do it. How do families make working and child raising compatible? How do you divvy things up? What do you do when they are on break and you're not? When they're sick, or there is a snow day? How do you make it all work without feeling like your head is going to fly off at any minute?
And if I haven't told you before, I am in absolute awe of all of you working parents out there. You are amazing and incredibly and apparently extremely well organized.
Ah, yes. It really is such a delicate balance. We have been enormously blessed in this department. My husband's paid work brings him out of the house on weekend evenings. This means he's the lucky one that gets to stay home with the children (and homeschool the lot), while I go off to my full-time Monday to Friday job. Then, come the evening activities, my husband is the one who does the majority of running around. At that point, he is happy to get OUT of the house, and I am thrilled to be back home with the little ones after a hard days' work. So, that's how we manage it. But we still feel like our heads are going to fly off, so maybe "manage" is not the right word. And yeah, house cleaning is WAY down on the priority list.
ReplyDeleteSounds like *you* have a good system worked out. What happens when the sabbatical ends?
@W-S Wanderings, I'm hoping to have a bunch of the kinks worked out before then. And it sounds like you and your husband have things worked out pretty well. Here's hoping that all of our heads stay firmly attached!
ReplyDeleteGood question. Right now, I am home with my kids, but before my son was born, I was a full time working mom. Now, I know there is a difference between working with 1 kid and working and parenting 3! How I did it was with help. For us that meant with child care, for others it might mean a house keeper. Also, lowering my expectations and control over what my house should look like and making sure we had a schedule to follow. Routine was critical. Try, try, try to carve a little piece of time for yourself each day, even if it means letting go of something else. For example, if letting your kids watch a show distracts them and gives you 30 minutes to exercise or take a bubble bath, let that be part of your day.
ReplyDeleteSomehow one always manages what ever is thrown at us
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