Guilt, frustration, sadness, stress, anxiety, embarrassment and feeling judged. These are just some of the emotions I feel as a working parent during the school holidays. Add to that, tired and overwhelmed, as I “do the juggle”.
It is complicated though. I love to work. ❤️
I have this internal debate going on whereby I feel crap not being with my kids all day, every day of the holidays. And, the other part of me that is grateful to be doing a job that I love! Complicated I know!
It is all about BALANCE. ⚖️
𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝟧 𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘴:
𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀
I take some of the time off to be with the kids and spend some of the time working. I set the boundaries and then stick to them (most of the time!)
𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲/𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆
Children thrive when given the opportunity to be / play independently and when they can take on responsibilities. Decide as a family what that looks like. Discuss it over tea. My kids now expect to have to empty the dishwasher and walk the dog and I trust that they will stick to their time limits on their screen time.
𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘃𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆
When I am with the kids I am focused on our time together. The phone goes away. There aren’t expensive days out and instead quality time hanging out with each other. As the kids have got older I am trying to spend more time with them 1:1. I noticed that it gave us great opportunity to talk.
𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
I noticed that my children responded better with a plan. I now manage their expectations of my time and also my expectations of them! They also understand that self-employment means flexibility but can also mean I have to work when the work lands on my desk!
𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁
This crippling emotion is a waste of your energy. You haven’t got anything to be guilty for! Let it go!
If you need support either in your current job to help get a balance that works for you, drop me a message on the contact me form. I’d love to talk to you!
