Balancing Motherhood and a Career

I'm of the opinion that a career should accommodate motherhood--not the other way around. There are ways for a career to accommodate motherhood.

1. Acquire a post-secondary education. Even an eight-week course can boost your earnings. This way you can work fewer hours with higher pay. Single mothers especially benefit from extra education.

2. Keep current with your industry. Regularly read industry literature. Keep a current license. This way you can resume your career more easily at a later time. For example, some of my friends as nurses and dental hygienists, work one or two shifts a month to keep their licenses current. Volunteer.

3. Make your work schedule fit your children's schedule. For example, my mother waited until her youngest attended school to start working again. I'm working a few hours around my children's sleep schedule and when they play independently.

4. Work somewhere that keeps you available to your children, if possible. My mother became the assistant librarian at the high school that my siblings and I attended. We could drop by and talk to her or hang out in the library anytime. Now that the internet is so accessible, telecommuting is a wonderful option.

5. Work less so you have more energy for your children. As I wrote on another post, "I know a full-time job would exhaust me to where I couldn't give my best self to my children."

There are ways to simply avoid working altogether. I believe the husband is the primary breadwinner. He needs to feel the responsibility to provide for his family. If the mother works too much, then the husband doesn't feel that burden. Live within your current budget. Distinguish between a want and a need. It's possible.

Some mothers need a small outlet. If you can earn money with your hobby, then great.

Single mothers often have no choice but to work. Or a mother must work because her husband can't. Hopefully, these suggestions will help any of you in these types of situations.

Share your thoughts in the comments.