Working mums need to do it all, but hey, who says you can't have some help along the way?
Move over Marvel! Avengers, what? The working mum is the real superhero any day. Juggling running a household, raising her kids, getting it done at her day job and more, the Marvel/Avengers equivalent of the working mummy would be probably be a thousand-armed deity with eyes, probably, dotting the circumference of her head all in a pair of killer heels!
We might laugh! As the cost of living rises in Singapore, dual-income families are a necessity! In fact, a 2016 survey by JobStreet revealed that nearly 70% of female workers in Singapore worked out of necessity. Being a working mum doesn�t mean this superhero mum gets to scale back on her mummy duties! Hence, life can be tough for a working mum as she might encounter some daily woes.
For a working mum, each day can feel like obstacle course as she manoeuvres between a work-related deal, a parenting hurdle and a housekeeping issue! If you�ve ever felt your phone buzz in your pocket during an important meeting, knowing full well it�s little one at home with some obscure request or had to have awkward conversations with your little one at your little office cubicle, we�re joining hands with you to offer some tips to take some of the stress out of your day!
Working Mum Woe #1: Child�s stash of healthy groceries are running out! You�ve got to put in late nights this week. The hubby can�t tell a lady�s finger from a pumpkin.
TIP: Go Online! Local supermarkets such as Cold Storage and NTUC Fairprice now have an online shopping option with free delivery if you�ve reached a certain spending amount. Additionally, you get to choose when the items will be delivered to your house. Buying your grocery list online can prove revolutionary for your schedule as you�ll be spending less time winding through the aisles after work which can mean more time to spend with your little one before bed.
Working Mum Woe #2: You�re working, and you receive a call from your child�s teacher/caregiver about your child�s attendance at a learning journey/or even an impending immunisation perhaps?
TIP: These little unwarranted jolts can make you feel like a bad parent! You�re not. Consider outsourcing some aspects of parenting to useful Apps! For instance, there�s an array of parenting apps online that help you to monitor your child�s milestones, vaccines, achievements and calendars! Download KidzMatters App to help you stay on top of your little one's milestones and more!
Working Mum Woe #3: You�re going about your work from home stuff and your little one wants you to play with him/her
TIP: Be present. Listen to what they want to say attentively and address his needs. Before both of you go back to what you were doing previously, ask if there is anything else he needs from you, fill up his emotional love tank, and let him/her know you will get back to them later. Be authentically loving and let him know that you can�t wait to play with him after you are done with work.
Be aware of your inner territory, keep calm by acknowledging and regulating your own emotions when you attend to your child�s request, e.g. anxious to get back to your work, or happy to hear from your child, etc. If you need to dismiss your child due to urgent matters, let your child know calmly, and let him know you can play with him later.
So, there you have it. Some tips for the working mum to pick up so that she can navigate the woes that come with balancing work and family.
But what about stay home mums? They face just as many, if not more, challenges as the working mother.
She has to rack her brains to think of what to cook on a daily basis so that her husband and kids do not get sick of the meal choices. What happens when you are in the middle of doing household chores and your young child wants you to play with him or her? Or when you finally got the little one to take an afternoon nap and realise that you forgot to get groceries for dinner? Well, what I am trying to say is that working mums have it tough but stay home mums have their own set of challenges too so try not to judge, ok?
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