More thoughts from a working mom
With some very real exceptions (like when one of the girls is sick or when work is exceptionally busy/stressful), I usually feel pretty okay about juggling the demands of work and family. I always miss my girls (of course), I sometimes feel guilty about missing time with them, and I’m often quite tired at the end of the day – but I’m not sure I would really change much (anything?) given the chance. And so I was interested both in the results of a recent study showing that working moms are generally healthy and happy, and in the thoughts of a busy mom that I recently came across in a magazine:
I’m writing this at the end of a very long week on a very late worknight that still doesn’t want to end. Honestly, these are the moments when I know that work-life balance is a myth – in fact, I don’t even like that phrase. For me, it’s instead about life-work satisfaction.
Am I satisfied that I’m still at work? That the kids had to come to the office today because they had some days off school and my husband covered the last one? That I also had to take them both to the dentist this morning? No, not really. Not at this moment. But once I get some sleep and have a moment to myself (!), I will be satisfied – satisfied with the choices I’ve made as a working mother, some purposefully and thoughtfully, some on the fly and quite imperfectly.
I agree that “satisfied” is a way better way way to describe things than “balanced,” so I can totally relate to this mom. But with that said, today marks my first day off of work for awhile (I have a 2.5-week winter break!) – and I must admit to being more than satisfied about that!
-M