For more and more working parents, work-life balance is becoming even more desirable. You don't want meetings to take precedence over soccer games and you don?t want to pause playtime to answer an email. In the same accord, you don't want your work to suffer either.
It is possible to not only work and parent, but also succeed at both! We spoke to some of our very own working parents to see how they manage maintaining success in their career and still enjoy quality time with their children. Here are their top tips!
You don't have to be at every event...just the big ones
You are a parent. Your kids are the most important thing to you. So even as a working parent, you want to be there for every practice and event. Don't hold yourself to that standard because not even stay-at-home parents do. To lessen the load, don't be afraid to be picky about what you attend.
If you follow this advice, you won't have to constantly worry about leaving work on time, and you will still be there for the occasions that count.
Multitask your preparations
Since mornings are no doubt chaotic and daytime is out of the question since you are working, after work is your best bet for getting your kids' bags all assembled and their lunches packed. As a working parent, this may be your time to focus on the kids, but don't forget to prepare yourself as well so you aren't scrambling at work the next day.
Pack your own lunch the night before, too! We can get so focused on making sure the kids' needs are taken care of that we neglect ourselves. When you're packing kids' lunches, don't forget yours as well.
When you have time for outings, make them as stress-free as possible
No matter where you work, it's bound to be stressful at points. That's why when you have time with your kids, you don't want that to carry on during these moments. When you find time outside of work to enjoy the zoo with your kids or take them shopping, try to set aside just a few minutes beforehand to pack a bag.
Pre-planning is important. Have everything ready for kids anywhere you are going to go. And we mean everything! Snacks, diapers, wipes, extra clothes, toys ... so much stuff!
This way, the time you get with your kids is fun and relaxed versus stressed and chaotic.
Embrace the little moments
As a working parent, time with your little ones is precious. Even when with them, however, it's normal to get stressed about work. To truly balance parenthood and career, you need to take active steps to be fully in the moment for both.
Consider refraining from using your phone when you're with your kids – unless it's to take a cute picture, of course! (You probably only have about 3,700 of those, right?) Aiming for dinner as a family at least a few nights a week is a good goal too ... just don't beat yourself up when it's not possible.
Keep in ming that sometimes these little moments are worth a change in schedule...even if it means going in to work a little later than you had hoped.
