Because as a mom in the twenty first century, that IS the question, right? I often think about how lucky we are to live at a time when if women choose to work while raising their children, there are hundreds of different types of work they can do from home, remotely, and at varying degrees of commitment to their profession. The gift of the Internet has granted families flexibility that we are incredibly lucky to have.
Growing up I didn't ever think that I would work, or ever run a company from home. These have been developments that have come over time. Although I don't think there is one perfect situation that fits every family, I do think there is a perfect situation for every family. What will work for your family will come as you and your partner spend time considering your family's needs, personally and together. Here are three steps we have taken to make the decision in our home on how we will create a work life balance:
- Consider your bandwidth. This is a phrase we use in our house a lot. At different times, our bandwidth as a couple and individually fluctuates depending on our circumstances. When deciding how much each spouse will take on professionally, I think it is really important to consider the cumulative amount of energy there is to go around in the home. Who will pick up the dry cleaning, take out the trash, and occasionally clean a toilet? (Or hire someone else to do it!) This especially becomes important when considering the energy it takes to care for little ones. If one spouse has an exceptionally demanding profession, how will the other one need to scale back their professional life in order to care for the home, day-to-day worries, and especially the kiddos? When you both decide to work, consider this: what will you cut out from your life to help keep your family balanced?
- Think about your long term goals as a couple. Long term, what will working do for your family? Will it benefit you financially, emotionally, and in your relationship with your spouse? Make a list of long term goals, and then work backwards to see what you need to do to accomplish them. This is a great way to arrive at a conclusion of where you need to place your efforts today.
- Ask for help from within. Whether you believe in God or not, I believe strongly that every parent will have direction from a light within them to know what is best for their family. You might call it the spirit, inner peace, or guidance, but that direction comes because when we become a parent our life becomes about something bigger than ourselves. For me, I have never felt direction more clearly than when it has come to the needs of my children and family. It has been one of the most rewarding parts of being a parent — asking questions about the needs of my family, and then listening for and receiving answers.
How have you decided your work/life balance in your home? Has it been a tough decision? I'd love to hear!
xx
Andrea
Image: Becky Kimball Photography
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P.S. This is one of the many installments in our #tubbytoddsoapbox series. This series is intended to do the exact same thing as our Tubby Todd products — they're meant to help you love and nurture your little ones! Each post focuses on the best way to take care of yourself as a parent because I whole heartedly believe that when we are taking care of ourselves we will be more capable of taking care of our little ones.
Thanks for reading along! Be sure to check out other posts in our series:
#tubbytoddsoapbox How to decide who you want to be as a mom
