After R was born I went back to work around the time that he turned 3 months old. The nice thing about my situation was that I had a home office and our nanny came daily and watched R in the main level of our home – while I worked in the upper level aka “my office”. While my situation was a bit unique with a home office setting that allowed me the flexibility of seeing him once or twice during the day during lunch breaks etc…it also meant that I had to disconnect and reconnect to my job all while under the same roof. Now that I’ve been both a mom that works full-time and a mom that stays at home with her child all day, I have a new appreciation for the blessings and obstacles that both scenarios bring to motherhood.
I truly feel there is so much we can genuinely learn from one another if we could only have more space to share our stories, struggles, and daily victories. I hope you’ll love hearing from these women as much as I’ve enjoyed pulling together their responses and sharing them with you all!
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Get to Know These 7 Momma’s Who Work Out of the Home
Whitney M. is a 30-year-old mother of a nine-month-old. She has been with her husband for eight years and married for two. In her spare time, she enjoys pilates and barre, interior design, cooking, and travel! She works full-time (and then some) as a Visual Merchandising Manager.
Amber P. is a 30-year-old mom of two-year-old boy/girl twins and has been married for almost six years! Her hobbies include crafting, playing board games, spending time outdoors, watching sports, reading blogs, listening to podcasts, reading and baking. She is a full-time Office Manager at a cemetery.
Janelle G. is a 36-year-old mother of two boys ages 5 and 21 months. She’s been married to her husband for almost nine years! She says she isn’t quite sure what her hobbies are right now because they’ve changed so much since having children. She used to love to read and had so much time to do that whenever I felt the urge. Now she feels it has to be a scheduled event which takes most of the joy out of it for her. She primarily enjoys playing with my children and attending her eldest sons sporting events! She has been a full-time Office Manager for Calumet Machine for the past seven years.
Ruthie S. is a 35-year-old momma of two kids, twin boy/girl who are almost five years old! She has been married for 7.5 years and her hobbies and interests include cooking, food photography, reading, singing, piano, hockey, and golf! Her job outside of the home is the Vice President of Public Affairs at the Michigan Health and Hospital Association – where she works full time.
Hailey H. is a 26-year-old mother of two, a four-year-old boy and seven-month-old girl! She and her husband have been together for six years and married for three. Her hobbies and interests include hiking, walking, biking, snowshoeing, doing DIY or art/craft projects and sipping on hot coffee. She works full-time as a Project Manager for a Marketing Agency.
Tasha S. is 32 years old mom of two, ages 3.5 and two months old. She’s been married for five years this August and together with her husband for 13! Her hobbies and interests include spending time with family and friends, camping, swimming, going to the beach, and four-wheeling. She works full-time at Sedgwick as a Claim Examiner.
Jennifer J. is a 33-year-old mother to her son who will be three in October! She’s been married to her wonderful husband Adam for about four years. A few of her hobbies include crafting (she’s a DIY wanna be at heart) – she always has great ideas for DIY projects, the problem is, she buys all of the “stuff” and still needs to do them! She loves a good deal and loves to shop. She enjoys following fashion blogs and loves to get ideas on how to wear clothes, shoes and match items together. She works full time for a nonprofit hospital as a Marketing, Volunteer & Community Relations Coordinator.
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What does a day in the life of you as a mom who works out of the home look like?
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Whitney M. – Wake up, juggle you and your husband getting ready/eating while getting your child set up for breakfast/changing them. Trying to carve out some time to spend with your child before leaving the house. Getting to work, trying to stay present (while looking at pictures of your child every 5 minutes ) going home – making dinner, cleaning bottles/house, feeding your child and your spouse and possibly sneaking a shower in. Spending time with your little one before putting them to bed. Once the child is in bed spending time with your spouse before going to bed to get up and do it all over again.
Amber P. – I wake up at 5:00 a.m. to get the kids and my breakfast and lunch prepared, at 5:30 a.m. I do a workout or some personal development, at 6:30 a.m. I get myself ready for the day and around 7-7:10 a.m. I get the kids up, dressed, and out the door by 7:30 a.m. I get to work around 8:00 a.m. and get off of work at 4:30 p.m. I pick up the kids from daycare and from there we prepare dinner together, the kids may watch a movie and we have dinner by 5:30 p.m. – around that time my husband Matt is usually home from work. At 6:30 p.m. we have a quick bedtime snack and then bedtime is around 7:15 p.m. the kids haven’t been napping the best at daycare, so we have found that this time makes for happier kids without the long nap. During the weekends the kids are in bed closer to 8:00 p.m. After the kids go to bed, this is where I catch up on some favorite shows and I usually head to bed around 9:00 p.m.
Janelle G. – A day in the life of me as a mom who works outside of the home, is best summed up chaotic. It does not matter how well I try and plan, or how early I get up before the kids, or how much I do the night before, it seems mornings are always chaos. From getting myself and 2 wild boys ready for the day to breakfast to jackets and out the door by 7:30, so we can make a stop at daycare and then school so I can be to work by 8. I am so grateful that I only have to travel a total of 3 miles in the morning between all of our stops so it helps if we are running late which happens more often than not some weeks. Once the workday is complete, it is off the races again, to get the boys either from daycare or my parent’s house, where our oldest gets off the school bus Monday -Friday. Then it is either dinner with my parents (which we are so grateful for) or home to either have something out of the crockpot or the instant pot (love quick meals) before we either play outside, (if the weather permits in northern Michigan) or family play time in the living room, then baths for the boys and in bed by 8. The days seem to fly by in a blink of an eye.
Ruthie S. – A typical weekday looks like this: Get up at 6:30 a.m., get myself ready, make lunches for kids. 7:30: wake and dress kids. 8-8:30 – take kids to school (or husband does). Work til 5:30-6 p.m. Go home, make dinner, feed kids, read the news, do laundry. 9 p.m. – either go to the gym or go for a walk/run. 10 p.m. – put kids to bed. 11 p.m. – go to bed.
Hailey H. – We wake up around 6AM, I get ready for work, pack my lunch, and head to my office by 7AM, My husband (John) gets up after me and gets the kids ready for the day. We have a babysitter come over to watch our daughter (Lucille), and John brings our son (Lincoln) to preschool on his way to work. While Lincoln is in preschool, I am only at the office from 7am-3pm, so I will go pick him up on my way home from work and we will go home so the babysitter can leave. I usually play with the kids for a while after getting home or get in a quick workout. Then we will have dinner, and depending on the weather, maybe we will get some outside time after that. Otherwise we usually just play inside until we go up to read books before bed at 7:30. They usually go to bed around 8:00 and John and I catch up on TV shows and go to bed. Then it starts all over again the next day 🙂
Tasha S. – A typical day starts at 6 am, I get myself ready first. Then I get kids up and ready to leave the house at about 7:30. Drop kids off at daycare then head to work for 8. I work M-F from 8-4. At 4pm, I head to daycare for pickup then I either go home or run errands. Once I’m home, I start to make dinner and attempt to eat all together. After dinner, I do the dishes and the kids have some play time. Then baths and bedtime for the kids. Then I stay up tiding the house usually do at least 1 load of laundry, getting clothes/backpack/diaper bag ready for the morning, and anything that needs to be done for the next day. I like to take some time for myself to watch some tv or ready but struggle because I’m usually pretty tired. I’m sure I’m forgetting something 🙂 I haven’t been back to work since a baby but this is what I did with just one child.
Jennifer J. – A day in my life is sometimes chaotic. I’m a very routine/organized person, some days it’s a curse but it’s helpful with a busy job and home life. Our mornings start early and usually end late.
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What was the most challenging part about going back to work after having your kid(s)?
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Whitney M. – Missing him, feeling like I’m missing out on big moments. Balancing his needs along with mine and my husbands.
Amber P. – After I had the twins, I had a very hard time leaving the twins. Mostly because they were small and I was nervous for them to be away from me. I also had a very hard time producing Breastmilk, and I had a hard time trying to balance my work and pumping schedule. We were unable to breastfeed so I was trying to exclusively pump at the time. It was very hard for me to try and get everything to balance.
Janelle G. – The most challenging part of going back to work after I had my babies was missing everything. Having someone else teach my babies, having someone else for them to run to when they hurt themselves, not being available to them when the still really needed me. All in all…the good old fashion mom guilt. It was bad, especially with Jaxson. I was so afraid I would miss the good stuff. In hindsight, I am sure I missed some milestones, but I was there for the first steps and all the major firsts. (this could be in part to our daycare lady who never said he walked…he was always close) After we had our second child, it felt like I needed to go back to work the next day. I was looking forward to having some sort of routine and some sort of structure. I felt we needed that. Also this time, my husband’s job allowed him to have 3 weeks off when the baby was born. It was amazing and I think that helped with me wanting and feeling the need to go back to work.
Ruthie S. – The most challenging part of going back to work after the kids were born was how difficult the mornings became. Packing up 12 feedings worth of milk, diapers, clothes, etc. As they’ve aged, it hasn’t gotten easier. Mornings are the worst and most stressful part of our day. My morning ritual used to be so energizing and relaxing and I would get to work ready to go. Now I generally arrive exhausted, sweaty and sometimes angry at myself and my kids.
Hailey H. – I think the most challenging part about going back to work honestly was finding childcare and hoping that we could afford it! We are so very limited when it comes to childcare in our area, and then when you compare it to how much we make after having taxes, health insurance, etc. taken out of our checks, we need to keep it in a budget.
Tasha S. – I’d say I struggle with missing the big moments such as crawling or taking their first steps. My daycare did get Shay’s first steps on video but still sad to have missed it in person. It also has been very hard to keep up on your daily cleaning. I’m gone all day but exhausted once kids are down, I just want some time to unwind but I don’t want to spend my whole weekend cleaning either. So, I’m forced to do some cleaning during the week so I can free up my weekend (when I can).
Jennifer J. – Going back to work after Beckett was born was probably one of the hardest things. My job requires evenings and weekends out in the community, and it was hard to think of going back “fulltime” once I had been home for so long. I spaced out my return to help manage home life and work. Adam was finishing his master program and it was a hard going back to school, balancing a newborn and my work schedule. My boss was amazing and let me do what I needed to do to keep that work-life balance. I was very blessed.
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What does your childcare situation look like or how has it evolved over the years?
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Whitney M. – After my maternity leave my husband took paternity leave for 2.5 months. Now my mom watches him (she is here from MI) until June when my husband had summer break (teacher) and then next Fall he will most likely go to daycare.
Amber P. – Currently the twins got to a private, in-home daycare. They have other little kiddos there and are getting great interaction with kids at varying ages. They have always been in an in-home setting, which we prefer to Public Daycare.
Janelle G. – Our childcare situation has had some major changes in the past 5 years. We started off with my dad (Papa Ed) who was retired staying home with Jax every day. 5 days a week. He was amazing. He loved spending time with his first grandchild and first boy in the family. It was great. My dad then ended up having bypass surgery when Jax was 4 months old and he started to go to daycare. The daycare was good, we knew the provider most of our lives it was good. She was then offered a full-time job with health benefits and she could not turn down the opportunity she had a family of her own, and she decided to close her daycare. There were a few transitional weeks and with my parents helping out again and taking Jax. We were then able to get into our current daycare provider and it has been great. She has taken on our newest addition as well since Jaxson has transitioned to school. My parents still watch Landon twice a week on Thursday and Friday when and if they are available. They are a huge help and blessing to us, and we would be lost without them, we are so lucky they live 5 blocks away, They also get Jaxson off of the school bus (he is in young 5’s or Junior Kings as they call it at CLK) at the corner Monday- Friday. Now that summer is coming up, we will be looking for Jaxson to attend a summer program that is offered at the school a couple of days a week since he will be in Kindergarten next year.
Ruthie S.– Our kids have been in full-time daycare since they were 12 weeks old, at the same center their whole lives. We decided against a nanny for the social benefits and also because we realized that if one of us wanted to work from home or take some time off, we wanted the kids to be elsewhere.
Hailey H. – For the first two years after my son was born, my husband and I just worked separate shifts and never paid for childcare. During that time I just worked part-time so it was a little easier. When he turned 2, we found an in-home daycare that he joined for two years until turning 4 and then he started pre-school. When my daughter was born this past August, I was able to stay home with her until November and then I had to go back to work. At the time, she was able to go to the daycare that Lincoln had been previously been in, but she was only able to go there until April due to spot conflicts with only being able to have childcare a certain age there at a certain time. To be honest, it was a complicated mess. I was able to find a sitter on care.com in the meantime that could come to our home to be with Luci, but she will be leaving to nannying in Italy starting in June. Lincoln will also be done with preschool in June and the two kids will be at home with another babysitter for the summer (luckily this one has been one of Lincoln’s teachers for this school year so the adjustment period should be easy!) After the summer is over, Lincoln will be starting kindergarten and Luci will be able to go back to her original daycare basically until she starts preschool 🙂 So as you can see, finding and keeping childcare is so incredibly difficult in this area. I’ve debated many, many times on just staying home because how hard it is to find someone and how expensive it is.
Tasha S. – My kid’s childcare is a full-time daycare center. I had a hard time leaving Shay there my first day back to work. Strange place, strange people. Were they going to take care of her the way I wanted? What if she wanted me and they couldn’t calm her down? I had a very hard time “letting go” but it has gotten a lot better over the years. Once I started to get to know them and trust them.
Jennifer J. – We have wonderful childcare! My parents watch Beckett one/two days a week and we are blessed to have a daycare within the local school system that our employer partners with. Daycare is so hard, and you really must trust someone with your baby. Our daycare team is wonderful, Beckett always has stories to tell about his day, his friends and projects to bring home for the fridge. I know he’s well taken care of while at “school”.
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How do you find “me” time in your daily or weekly routine? What do you use that time for?
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Whitney M. – I try to use moments like grocery shopping or showering to recharge and slow down. Finding time twice a week to take a workout class. I typically work out (pilates/barre), do a face mask, or walk the aisles at the grocery store and peruse.
Amber P. – I wake up every morning early. to get my workout in. If it is a recovery day, I still may get up and listen to a podcast, read, or just sit and enjoy some coffee. I feel like I am at my best when I do this. If I miss a day, I can tell in the way I communicate at work and with my family.
Janelle G. – How do I find me time? Haha is that really such a thing?!? No, in all honesty, Rory is very good about being with the boys so I can have at least an hour or so every week to just do whatever I want. Usually, I use that time for grocery shopping or me shopping. Now that the weather is getting nicer I will probably use it is get a pedi or even just go sit on the beach and soak up some sun. I honestly don’t like being gone from the boys when Rory is home because I feel like I am missing very important family time since we both work full-time jobs away from the boys.
Ruthie S. – Finding “me” time has been hugely helped by having a husband who is 100 percent supportive of me carving out time to exercise, take a hot bath, take a walk, or whatever it is on any given day. It wasn’t a priority the first two-three years of the kids’ lives and I really suffered for it. Now it’s the most important part of my day. Every day it’s different – whatever my body and mind tell me I need.
Hailey H. – Finding “me time” is pretty tricky as a mom, but I usually considering my workout as daily “me time” even if it’s just at home and the kids are usually watching or climbing on me. Other than that, I usually get out and about a couple times a month either with my mom or a friend while my husband is home with the kids. We usually go get coffee and breakfast or go check out some cute local shops, etc.
Tasha S. – I try to get some “me” time by watching tv/movie or reading. Occasionally I will meet up with friends for dinner but that doesn’t happen often.
Jennifer J. – “Me” time….what is that?? I’m a control freak, I openly admit it and have a hard time letting go of things that have to get done need to get done OR just stepping away. I had a hard year this last year for personal reasons and I made myself a promise that in 2019 I was going to set time aside for myself. Adam is very, very good at letting me have my time. He encourages dates with friends, nail appointments or just getting out of the house (alone) to grocery shop and grab a much-needed coffee.
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How and when do you find time to reconnect with your spouse?
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Whitney M. – We started playing board games in the evening. Scrabble has been a fun one we enjoy.
Amber P. – Having two-year-old twins makes it very hard for Matt and I to stay connected. We try to, at least once a month have a night or weekend where the kids go to one of our parents’ house so we can have some time alone.
Janelle G. – This is a tough question. We are totally in the thick of raising children. Our youngest is now 20 months and into everything and with our oldest in school and sports finding time for us, is not usually on the top of the list. I will say that my husband has been great, very understanding and supportive of our crazy life. We try and spend an hour after the kids go to bed, picking up and just talking about our day, during this time we really try not to talk about the kids, but let’s face it….they are our world and life and we talk about them all the time to anyone who will listen. Friday nights we usually make a late dinner just us after the kids go to bed, (usually veggie stir fry because it is quick and we both like it) and spend some time together that way. Of course I would love to be able to spend more time with him and go on all these adventures and vacations but that is just not how our life is at this time, maybe in the future but for now, we are doing the best we can.
Ruthie S. – My husband and I make time to connect a few different ways. Sometimes we get a babysitter for no reason, and we go upstairs and watch a movie and go for a walk. Sometimes we cut our afternoons at work a few minutes short and meet at home for a glass of wine and some conversation. It’s easy to let this slip but it’s, again, got to be a priority for the health of our relationship. It’s a constant work in progress.
Hailey H. – My husband and I recently decided that we are going to have weekly date nights. Whether its actually out of the house or just in the evening at home after the kids go to bed. We want to make our relationship a priority because it is easy to “forget” about your spouse at the end of the day when you’re tired from work, and kids, and being needed all the time. A lot of our evenings look like the two of us scrolling our phones on the couch while watching a TV show, which is exactly why we wanted to make sure at least once a week we put our phones away and spend a good chunk of time just reconnecting.
Tasha S. – Time to reconnect with my spouse is usually after kids go down. We like to watch tv together although it has gotten a lot harder to spend time together after kids. We will have an occasional date night but again, not as often as we probably should.
Jennifer J. – Adam and I have morning coffee together as sometimes evening gets in the way with tubby time, laundry, work, and household duties. Our morning coffee is quiet while B is still sleeping, we chat about everything. Adam truly is my best friend, no judgment, openness and he makes me laugh. Those mornings are some of my favorite times with him.
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What advice would you give a mom who feels like she’s trying to juggle it all and can’t win?
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Whitney M. – Don’t feel like you need to do it all, scale back. When you are with your child just try to be present and enjoy your time with them. If you need a break – take a break, even if it’s showering enjoy every second of it, do a face mask and pamper yourself a little. At the end of the day, you need to do what is best for you and your child and what makes your little family happy and healthy.
Amber P. – My advice is to try and not be so hard on yourself. If you can’t breastfeed/pump-who cares… Your baby or babies will grow just fine. Don’t be afraid to say NO to visitors. We had a lot of company after the twins were born, and while I enjoyed the company, I also feel like I didn’t get to bond with the babies enough.
Janelle G. – The advice that I would give a mom who is trying to juggle it all and can’t seem to win is to stop trying so hard. It has been a lesson I have had to work so hard on. The clean house won’t matter, the laundry won’t matter, the dishes no one cares. Your friends and family really don’t care if your house is magazine ready 24/7. The motto I have adopted and really have found that works for me, is my house will be magazine ready during the years my kids are gone and before I am hopefully blessed with grandchildren. I have a canvas hanging in our living room that says “Embrace the Chaos!” and it is so true. With our oldest already in school (which we find so hard to believe) they truly are only little for a short time. If you really think about it you only have 18 summers with your babies and where we live that is 18 (3 month) chunks of time. Most days I tell myself….are your kids happy? did they laugh today? did you put them to bed? are they fed? do they have a roof over their head? are they clean? If I can answer yes to those questions….they day was a total success and I can go to bed happy. The dishes might be in the sink, the laundry might not have gotten folded but my babies and my heart are happy that is a win for me!
Ruthie S. – I would tell moms out there who feel like they want it all or can’t juggle everything first and foremost, you’re not alone. Especially when your kids are very young, you are trying to figure out a new normal. I had to make a very conscious choice to let some things go and start from a new baseline of “doing well.” I let go of the feeling that the house was always cluttered and that it should be tidier. I stopped saying yes to outside commitments that didn’t offer me anything in return, which sounds and felt selfish – but I ended up resenting those causes instead of cherishing them. I let myself give it all at work and then go home, and let it go – then give it all at home. I realized I needed to set an example for my employees about balancing their careers and home lives. I’ve been so much happier and healthier since I learned to do a little less – I now have so much more.
Hailey H. – To the mom who feels like she’s struggling: just remember time goes by all too slow and way too fast at the same time. The days are long, the hours are long, the minutes are long, but the years are really so short. I recently was flying from Michigan to Florida with my family for Spring Break and in order to get cheap flights, we have to drive 3.5 hours and take 3 separate flights! That is pretty hard to fathom when you are thinking about the fact that we had a 4-year-old and a 7-month-old with us. But the thought that really got me through that day was: “no matter how good or bad this day is, it will still end. We will make it through this crazy day, we will go to sleep and a new day will start all over again.” And I think that resonates with any day of parenthood. No matter how good or bad the day is, whether we laugh all afternoon, or cry and scream until bedtime. The day will eventually end and we get a chance to start all over again. It’s so easy to focus on the negative parts of the day because those are the moments that stop us in our tracks, but I think we really need to remember the positive moments. Write them down if we have too. Keep them at the top of our memory bank! Also, moms need to remember to take any time they can to themselves. Have that glass of wine at the end of the night, scroll your phone while they are occupied. None of that stuff makes us bad moms, it just makes us human.
Tasha S. – Every mom has a bad day but we do the best we can. There is no perfect mom. Tomorrow is a new day.
Jennifer J. – My advice to anyone trying to juggle it all – do what’s most important. If you can conquer 5 things that are most important to you in a day. You’re there! Planning has helped me significantly with home and work-life balance. I pick my clothes out the night before, work bags near the door, and know what’s on my plate. Do not sweat the small stuff, and always be open to a helping hand. Family and friends are what keep us sane and sometimes you just need that little leap of faith or a pat on the back to know you’re doing things right. If the laundry doesn’t get one for a week, it’s going to be OK. Those dishes, they can wait. Learn to say no. Your health, sanity, and family are the most important.
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What is the most challenging thing you are going through in this season of life?
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Whitney M. – Balancing life and emotions. I always knew I wanted to be a mother but I did not realize how much I would enjoy it. My favorite thing right now is just being with him and watching him change. I love every moment I have with him. However, I feel extremely blessed to have a career that I LOVE, feel passionate about, and have the most supportive coworkers that feel like family. I am trying to balance being at work, being present and then shutting it off when home and trying to put my time and energy (what there is left of) enjoying with him.
Amber P. – Right now my son is having a hard time communicating, and accepting no. I guess we call that the terrible twos. Lilly is our easy one, (For now) but is now starting to throw some fits like her brother. We are going to tackle potty training soon. Yay us!
Ruthie S. – The most challenging thing about this season of my life continues to be maintaining proper amounts of attention to my kids, career, marriage, and friendships. Learning to be intentional about how I spend my time has been a game-changer but it takes practice and time. As new opportunities come along, that balance can be upended – the challenge is being flexible enough to find new joys and letting things be messy for a bit while you rebalance.
Hailey H. – I think the most challenging part of this season for me is the stress of schedules. There is always somewhere to be, someone to meet with, an appointment to get to, times the kids need to get to bed, etc. For some reason, all of those deadlines always stress me out!
Tasha S. – I’d say trying to juggle family life and still be me. I still like to go out with friends/hubby and get some “Me” time but feel guilty being away #momguilt
Jennifer J. – I think the most challenge thing in my season of life is trying to just do the above. Time goes by so fast, I can’t believe Beckett is going to be three. You need to live in the moment, treasure it and know you’re here to be the best spouse, mother, friend, sister, etc. and if you can do that – you’re making it.
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How do you think our society/communities can better support and help moms who work out of the home?
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Whitney M. – Be more sensitive, she may want to prove she can do it all and some days maybe she can but it is not sustainable. Give more help financially to families for childcare so they feel confident returning to work. A longer maternity leave so the mother can be with her child longer.
Amber P. – We as mothers need a better support system. I know there are mom groups here and there, but you don’t hear of many. I also think that as a society, we have expected mothers to be able to do it all. Be a good mom, wife, employee etc. There is a stigma that is put on mothers, and that is why we have such a hard time with mom guilt.
Janelle G. – The way society and communities can better support working mothers outside of the home is to back off….in general our society needs to back off…I did see a post on social media recently that really hit home with me. This I find so very true. We are asking women to do everything. It is not possible. It takes a village to raise our babies, I would not be able to be where I am today doing what I am doing if it was not for my tribe of women (and men) that help me. From family to friends to even people I don’t know (just a smile on a bad day in the store with an unruly child) can really make a huge difference. We are asking so much of people both men and woman that we just need to back off and let people live their lives. If it does not truly affect you and you don’t have anything positive to add to their lives keep moving. I don’t have time to defend myself to someone who has no business being in my business in the first place.
Ruthie S. – I think our society has a long way to go when it comes to supporting parents who work outside the home. It’s not an easy or cheap problem to solve – caregivers should get paid more, in my opinion. But the business community and parents need to find a way to come together to find solutions that work for everyone. Workplace flexibility needs to continue to improve for those jobs that can accommodate it – whether that means allowing remote working, different hours, letting kids accompany employees to the office or other creative solutions. Schools should also be working more closely with employers and parents as they move to more year-round models. When kids have a random two-week break from school, parents have to scramble for childcare – or stay home from work. Communities should be implementing these efforts together, not creating divisions between the business and education sectors.
Hailey H. – I think it would be great if there were more childcare options, after-school activities for our children in the community!
Tasha S. – The one thing I’ve noticed is that all the events for moms/kids such as groups for storytime and craft are always during the day on a weekday. I think it would be very nice to have a mom group like MOPS that get together on weekends so moms that work full time can attend.
Jennifer J. – I’d love to see a support group/play group for moms. I’m always asking friends questions about their children, and how they dealt with different ages and stages. How do I get my child to want to potty train? What do you do if your child won’t eat vegetables? Sassy, oh the sass!!! I think he gets that from me, how do I stop the sass?? We all need a resource, whether it be about kids, books, healthy eating, cleaning products or just a friend to lend an ear when you need to vent. A support group/friend circle for moms/women, to just get it all out there (the good, bad, and ugly) in the open and having someone back them. Women’s supporting each other!