When Heidi Englebert had her first child, Avery, in 2001, she decided to take a one-year leave of absence from her job as a business analyst. That one-year break turned into a 10-year stint at home as Englebert raised Avery and her second daughter, Anna. As her children got older, Englebert grew restless and decided to go back to work full-time. “I was determined to get a job for my own personal well-being,” she says. “I wasn’t satisfied being at home anymore, and I was ready for that next step in my life.”
Today’s working mother struggles to split her time between her career and her family. The demand of her two worlds can be a constant battle. A successful working mom does not strive for perfect balance; but in fact, lives her life like a teeter-totter. Although every rider tries to achieve perfect balance at some point, most find it more fun to enjoy the ups and downs.
Going out of town on business is oftentimes a necessary part of the job for working parents. If your children struggles with your (or your partner’s) absences, try a few of these ideas to soothe the stressful sting of separation.
Mommy guilt. Those words have become all too familiar for many of us working moms. I have a gaggle of children - six, to be exact - and although four of them have now graduated from high school and moved on from the needy stages, for many years, I juggled a career and six very busy children’s schedules.
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