The Great Mommy Balancing Act
What is that awful sound!??
It’s my first realization at 5:30am when my alarm starts going off. Throwing my arms over my face as to hide or change the fact that it’s time to start my day. My senses start to return to me, but I realize that I am being weighed down by something and I can’t reach my alarm clock. As I look down I realize that the weight is my 2-year-old son who never misses an opportunity to sneak into bed with mommy and daddy. As I peel him off I know I have exactly 30 minutes to shower before my second born wakes up. While I am brushing my teeth, I hear the baby begin to wake up and I run in to start the changing-feeding-lunch packing-dog walking mornings my husband and I have become accustomed to. At 7:00am we are out the door and on our way to drop the kids off with my parents for the day.
By time I reach work I feel as though I’ve already had a full day of responsibilities, yet the day isn’t even half over. How do any of us manage this on a day to day basis? The truth is…. Sometimes we don’t. Sometimes things just don’t go the way I have it all planned in my head. But it’s okay!
I cannot tell you the amount of times I have forgotten my son’s best friend, Cookie Monster, in my back seat. Or how many times I have given my husband my son’s lunch for the day. (Though, I think he might enjoy the PB&J and apple juice more than his normal lunch!)
As long as my kids are safe, happy and healthy, I can deal with the rest.
The thing about having good balance and making it through this crazy, hectic, wonderful life we lead, is knowing that when I can’t bear it all, there is someone waiting with arms wide open to catch me. Together, my husband and I are a great team. We are lucky to have my parents nearby, who help us out with childcare during the week. That really comes in handy when one of us must go in early or stay late at work, though we both have jobs that allow us some flexibility for doctor appointments and sick children.
My truth is that when my first son was born I was living 800 miles away from family, I had a job where family wasn’t a priority to my supervisors. They say it takes a village to raise a child; I couldn’t do it without mine.
My husband and I have worked hard over the past two years to find the correct balance that works for our family and the careers we want. We made choices to get us here, to this place we are in today, so we could create the best life for our children and each other. Our days may start early and end late, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
A note to all of you new moms reading this post as you search the internet for guidance on how to have a career and a family (I know because I used to do the same thing), it can be done.
Gather your village and you’ll find your balance.