Being a parent is incredibly challenging, whether you’re able to work from home or you work away from home. It takes a lot of juggling to keep work and family life in order, no matter what your work life looks like.
Mom’s sometimes compartmentalize life, and as a result, spread themselves too thin, making it hard to enjoy successes in any arena (motherhood, work, friendships, etc.).
Today I want to give you some advice on how to spend your time more wisely, making sure to delegate in a way that benefits both you and your family.
1. Let your kids see the importance of your work.
Sometimes, we think keeping our work life separate from the time we spend with our children is the right thing to do so that they feel we are fully present. That’s ideal, yes, but there’s also a big benefit to letting your kids see you in action. This can give them a broader understanding of who you are.
So, the next time you’re tempted to shut your home office door, leave it open and let your kids share the room with you, doing homework or playing games. Chances are, they’ll pay close attention to you, listen to your calls and ask questions about your work that they otherwise wouldn’t think to ask.
2. Let your work be a teaching experience.
You may frequently feel that you need to keep your work “at the office” when you’re are home with your family. Although you may want to keep the difficulties with a co-worker out of our dinner conversations, it can be beneficial to involve your kids in some facets of your job and subsequently your life.
Think relationships, balancing budgets, expressing creativity, and more. Perhaps your job provides a concrete example of how to navigate these things.
3. Show your kids your ability to separate work life and family life.
While your kids can benefit from watching you manage your work life, show them you also know how to separate the two. This can be shown by turning your phone off after a certain hour of the day, stepping away from your paperwork for dinner and keeping your work contained in a designated room or on a designated table. Show your kids that you can separate yourself from work by not letting it become all-consuming.
If you find any of these three suggestions difficult, remember your own childhood and how you either felt great pride in what your parents did for a living, or felt alone at times because you mother or father were consumed with work. Your children are watching how you manage your professional life more than you may realize. Let them in and show them what a healthy professional life looks like.
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