When you think of a working mother, you probably conjure up a mental image of, like, a woman juggling a briefcase in one hand and a toddler in the other!! But really, every mom is a working mom, because being a mom (or dad!) is the toughest job there is.
The People Who Don't Think So
Of course, there are always those people who think parenting is so easy, and that being a stay-at-home mom or dad is a cakewalk. But you don't get the same benefits of a regular job, now do you? "Days off," legally mandated breaks, and even lunch sometimes goes by the wayside when you're a parent. In most jobs you can turn your brain off for a couple minutes, but when you're a parent, you never truly go into off mode. They say a mother's work is never done, and that's true for many fathers too!
Besides, being a parent doesn't come instinctively to everyone.
I know for me, until I met my wonderful Evie and my soon-to-be baby girl… I didn't necessarily envision myself becoming a mother. Especially way back when I was in so much debt! So being a parent doesn't come instinctively or naturally to all of us, for some of us it's something we have to learn to get good at, and I think that makes it harder to find than others too. Even if it does come naturally to you, there will always be unexpected crazy things that happen… like, hopefully you don't get puked on in most jobs, do you?
In fact, one study showed that being a mother (and I'm assuming the same is true of a stay-at-home father) is equivalent to working two and a half jobs!!
You may be doing a double-take, but that's right! 2,000 American moms, with kids ages 5 to 12 years old, were surveyed, and it was determined that on average they work 98 hours a week! Yep, the average mom got up at 6:23 a.m. and didn't stop working until 8:31 p.m., and also only got about an hour and 7 minutes to herself every day.
All of This is Doubly True for a Working Mother
Like I said, all mothers are automatically a working mother, but what about those moms and dads who have to say goodbye to their babies for most of the day? That seems even harder than working almost 100 hours a week, not being able to see them for the majority of your (and their) day!
Jamie Johnson, a writer for Motherly, says in an article, "All day I'm taking meetings, writing press releases, planning events, fielding calls about this and that, while also making sure I'm out the door in time to pick the kids up from the sitter. Or calling my mom at the last minute to see if she can grab them because I'm stuck in a meeting."
I can't imagine having to call Mom at the last minute, and by doing that take even more time away from my kids!!
Overall, I am personally very glad to be able to work from home and set my own hours, and have the flexibility not only for my baby (soon babies!), but for myself, my husband, and just to generally have TIME to get everything done! What's more important than that?
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