“How do you do it?”
“I could never do everything you do!”
“You amaze me.”
I have heard it all. I have heard how amazing I am to how I must be a master of time management. My friend told me that she could never do everything I do. I responded with, “that’s okay, I cannot either.”
I am a mom, homeschooler, wife, freelance writer, blogger, and business owner. Among those aspects of my life come other “hats” and responsibilities. However, I am here to tell you that I am not amazing. I am not a master of time management. I am simply a working mom, like so many working moms out in the world today. It just so happens that I can work from my home while homeschooling my children. Yes, the balance is difficult at times but most days it works. I have days that I wonder how I got my hands into so many things. In fact, I had one of those days not long ago. It happens. How do you keep the balance?
My balance begins and ends with my family. A wise friend asked me, during a conversation on trying to balance work and family, what my kids thought of me right now. What kind of mom do they see me as? Do they see I am hardworking? Do they see I am achieving goals? Or do they see a stressed mom who hardly has time to laugh and play? If they are seeing a mom who is stressed then what is that saying to them about being a mom and working? What is that saying about having a business? Will my life reflect that working hard and being a mom was the best thing I could do for the well being of my family? So many questions, yet the answers are so important.
We strive for excellence, as it should be. Yet, do we miss the mark on family? The balance is in how our children see us. If we cannot manage to spend time with family or share a laugh then we are doing too much. It is normal to have a busy time of year or have a project that takes up extra time in our lives. However, it is not something that should define your role as a working mom. Your children need you more than your clients or editors. Be realistic with your time and your goals. If something is preventing you from taking an afternoon to snuggle on the couch with a precious little child, then drop it. That’s right…drop it. Again, you will have times when work takes precedent but it should be the exception and not the rule. So for me, I may wear plenty of hats but I only wear one at a time and some stay in the closet for a few days or so. The only hats that never come off are mom, wife and most importantly daughter of the King. Once that is in order, all the other hats have their turn. It is not easy but with priorities in place it is doable. After all, the little ducklings that follow behind are worth all the splashing.