Dear Working Mom,
I know the feeling all too well, the one where you’re holding your sweet little baby and realizing that your precious time is almost up. It’s one of the worst feelings in the world.
As each day passed, I fought back the tears that came to my eyes whenever I thought about having to leave my baby and go back to work.
My heart broke as I realized that I would wake up one morning and have to hand my baby off to someone else. A stranger will be taking care of my baby.
I’ll have to miss out on watching her grow up. I’ll have to miss out on some of her firsts. I’ll have to miss out on so many monumental days in her little life.
I kept asking why.
Why can’t I have more time? Why did the little bit of time I’ve had go by so fast? Why do I have to leave my baby when we just got into our routine? Why does this have to be so dang hard?
Let me tell you, Mama, I get it. And it’s okay.
It’s okay that you don’t want to leave your baby.
I mean, who wants to leave their baby all day? Not me! It’s my BABY. The little life that I grew for nine months before anyone else knew her. She was a part of me, and now I have to give that part of me away for 9 hours a day. It freakin’ sucks.
It’s okay to cry.
I’ve had days where I’d get back into my car after dropping her off and just cry. All I want to do is walk back in there, get my baby, and go back home. It takes everything inside of me to put the car in drive and force a smile when I walk through those corporate doors.
It’s okay to get annoyed.
I get annoyed when people tell me it will get easier. It hasn’t gotten easier. It won’t get easier. It’s hard as hell to walk away from my little girl every day.
It’s okay to feel like you aren’t giving it all you have at work.
I often feel like I’m not being the employee that I should be because I’m always thinking about my baby or having to miss days if she’s sick. Or not putting in the extra time and effort that I should because I want to get home and have at least a little time to spend with her between dinner, bath, and bedtime.
It’s okay to feel like you’re not giving it all you have at home.
Sometimes, I feel like I’m not the mom I should be because she’s at daycare 9 hours a day instead of with me. Chick-fil-A is typically the go-to for dinner. The house never seems to be clean, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get all the laundry done. When do I have time to do all of this and be able to take a few moments to just stop and play with my baby after working all day?
It’s okay to ask for help.
Being a working mom means you’re left with a never-ending list of things that need to be done, and for some reason, I think that I need to get it all done on my own. Asking for help relieves some of the stress and allows me to spend a few extra minutes with my sweet baby.
It’s okay to need a break.
When you go from doing what you want, whenever you want, to being a working mama who is constantly on the go, it can be an adjustment. Sometimes, I really just need some time to myself. Just a few hours alone to go get my nails done, walk around Target, or grab a coffee and drink it while it’s still hot.
It’s okay to struggle.
Try not to compare yourself to the picture “perfect” Instagram mom who probably isn’t so perfect behind the scenes. I mean, if you’re not struggling at some point, are you even doing it right?
Just know that you’re not alone.
Other working mamas out there understand the heartache and struggles. But know this, Mama, you are strong, some of the strongest women I know, and sometimes I just don’t know how we mamas do it all!
Being a working mom is dang hard.
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, and never let anyone tell you that it’s unacceptable to not be okay sometimes.
You’re not alone.
You’re an amazing mom!
Do what you need to do for yourself and your babies! Stay strong and keep killin’ it!
