Back To Work Guilt Free

Back To Work Guilt Free

Are you having a tug-of-war with your emotions about leaving your beautiful baby with someone else and returning to the work force?

Feeling guilty at having to say goodbye to your bundle of joy?

Then find out how you can return to work and leave the guilt behind!

As a mother of 4, grandmother of 5, midwife of many years and a working mum all my life, I have faced and overcome the guilt of being a working mum.

My top 10 tips for mums to return to work with gratitude, instead of guilt

1. Get clarity on your reason for returning to work. What is your number one reason for returning to work? Are you doing it for family, mortgage, roof over family’s head, food on the table, security of children? Give gratitude for your ability to do this.

2. Give back to community. By returning to work, you provide a service to your clients, customers, coworkers, government (taxes)

3. Give back to yourself. Many mums lose their own identity once they become a mum. Regaining your own identity improves your relationship with your partner and makes you more accepting and tolerant of your children.

4. Look at the current statistics. A new study by researchers from New York's Columbia University School of Social Work has come out in support of mums returning to work. It has found that children benefit by their mother's greater sensitivity to them, the family's higher income and its ability to provide better quality care. It shows that the positives far outweigh the negatives.

5. Create newness in your child’s life on a daily basis. Make coming home a ritual of newness for your child with a special celebration every day. Just like adults, children thrive on newness and excitement. How quickly do we lose interest once an experience becomes the norm. Working mums have the opportunity to create that newness for their child every day when they come home.

6. Have a reliable child carer. Most mums struggle with leaving their babies and children with someone else. Find a reliable child carer whom you can trust and know that your children are OK, and benefitting from their time in someone else’s care.

7. Give your child quality time every day when you return home. Children thrive on routine. Make a ritual for some one on one time with your child on your return. Allow your child to decide what they want to do with this time.

8. Emplow a cleaner. This will relieve so much guilt as you know that your housework will be done on a regular basis, allowing more time for you and your family

9. Create a routine that allows healthy work, family, life balance. We each have the same number of hours in the day. Manage your time wel to allow a healthy balance between work, home, family, self. Create a workable routine and write it down.

10. Leave your baggage at the office door. Don’t bring your work home. It will still be waiting for you tomorrow. Allow your family to have quality time with you once you walk through the door.

So embrace the opportunity to enhance your family's life, give your baby a huge hug and kiss and know that returning to work can be a wonderful, rewarding experience if you just give gratitude for the enrichment it brings, and leave the guilt baggage behind.