From the moment you became a mother, you immediately felt a surge of unconditional love you never imagined.
Sure it was exhausting… the sleepless nights, the napless days, and the fact that any ounce of a social life you once had, has completely faded away can make life feel like it’s leaning a tad bit more on the overwhelming side of things but every time you look into your baby’s eyes and see her smile, you know it’s all worth it.
While you’re enjoying motherhood, there’s this lingering thought in the back of your mind that you’ve been trying to avoid for quite some time… it’s the question of if and when you’re going back to work?
This question is easier to answer for some moms than it is for others. Some moms know that they are absolutely going back to work… that doesn’t make them bad mothers because they want to go back to work.
But some moms have a serious struggle with making that decision and become overwhelmed with mommy guilt, especially when they do return back to work.
What is Mommy Guilt Exactly?
Mommy guilt is a feeling of guilt, uncertainty, or sadness experienced by mothers when they feel that they have neglected their child or failed in their responsibilities as a mother due to various reasons but returning to work is one of the major reasons mothers experience this feeling.
According to activekids.com, the fact that you are a mom with another life depending on you means that in order to take care of your child, you have to take care of yourself too.
You have to eat, you have to get your rest, and you have to take time out for yourself. It’s so easy to embody motherhood but lose the person you were before children… never lose her because she is part of who you are.
Can You Overcome Mommy Guilt?
To simply put it, yes you can overcome mommy guilt but it’s not going to happen overnight. Lots of moms will opt for starting a home-based business instead of returning back to their commute to work.
They think that this will give them the best of both worlds… they’ll be able to stay home with the baby and still be able to contribute to their home’s income.
Well, the truth of the matter is that yes, it will allow them to be at home with their kids but if you really want to make money with your business, you’re going to have to treat it like an employer that’s paying you by the hour with expectations of productivity.
So what does that mean, exactly? Well, it means you’re going to have to take on entrepreneurial responsibilities along with motherly responsibilities. It means you’re going to have to send correspondence emails and use the breast pump at the same time;
It means that you’re going to need to look at policy options for business insurance all while the baby is sleeping in your arms… you get the picture. You’re going to have to multitask in more ways than one!
All of your motherly duties are duties that have to be done but they’re also distractions (if you’re looking at this from a business perspective). Luckily, there are life hacks that increase productivity when working from home, despite the distractions you might have.
So with these multitasking obligations between motherhood and running your business, you’re going to slack off in one of the areas if you’re not careful, and neglecting one area more than the other is what leads to mommy guilt.
So how can you be the best mom and run a successful home-based business? Well, it’s been done before so that means you can do it too. Take a look at these tips to overcoming mommy guilt.
Take Distractions Head-On
This might sound a little contradictory in the fact that you want to be productive and not get distracted.
Well, think of it like this… with certain distractions, the more you say “not now honey” or “mommy’s busy right now,” the longer they’re going to distract you.
If your toddler is “needy” (so to say) and wants a hug, pause what you’re doing to give her a hug and once she has that, she’ll be on her merry way to watching her favorite show, allowing you more time to get back to what you were working on.
Play the Quiet Game
Having kids in the house can make it hard to conduct business on the phone. So how do you get a little quiet time when you need to use the phone? You play the quiet game.
Whoever can stay quiet the entire time you’re on the phone wins. Also, sweeten the deal with a fruit snack or a piece of fruit.
Talk to Other Moms
When it comes to the ups and downs of being a mother, especially a working mother, it helps to take advice and bond with other moms because they’ve probably experienced the same feelings you’re having.
Reach out to Facebook friends or search groups on social media for help.
Look at Parenting Like Your Business
The whole point of running a business is to get in tune with your customers to give them what they want… Well, you have to do that with your kids too. Get in tune with your children’s needs and wants.
Once you know what those are, you can give them those things and you and your kids will be happy!
