Life as a working parent can come with many challenges. It can be very difficult to find a healthy work life balance, and many working parents struggle with feelings of guilt. Some feel that they don’t spend enough time with their families, while others worry that they are falling behind in their career.
If you can relate to this, it is important to know that you are not alone. Most working parents feel this way – and there are things you can do to alleviate feelings of guilt. This will make it easier for you to enjoy both aspects of your life without feeling stressed.
Here are five tips to help you deal with feelings of guilt as a working parent.
1. How To Deal With Feelings Of Guilt As A Working Parent: Return To Your Values
Every parent has different values in life. Perhaps you are the breadwinner for your family and your main goal is to provide for everyone, or perhaps you work part time and try to prioritize parenting. No matter what your situation is, if you are starting to feel guilty it will help to sit down and think about your main values.
If you feel happy with your career but guilty about parenting, you may want to make accommodations that will allow you to return to your values. This could be working from home instead of the office so you can have lunch with your children, or it could be changing your hours so that you have more weekend availability. This will create a healthier work life balance that you are much happier with.
2. Speak To Other Parents
It can also be useful to speak to other working parents about any feelings of guilt. It is often reassuring to discover that other people feel the same way as you. Remember that you are not alone in your feelings, and creating a mini support group will provide you with a place to express your feelings of guilt. There is also a good chance that other parents will have useful tips or tricks that you can use to alleviate feelings of guilt!
3. Drop The Idea Of Being A Perfect Parent
Lots of people feel like they need to be a perfect parent – but in reality no-one is a perfect parent! Social media may make you think that all working parents are also making homecooked dinners every night, but this is rarely the case. Remember that social media isn’t reality – and if you’re trying your best, you are a great parent. So take some pressure of yourself, and accept that you are trying as hard as you can for your family.
We also suggest that you also unfollow any social media accounts that sell an unrealistic view of being a working parent. These accounts can bog you down over time, so ditch them and replace them with a working parent podcast that actually talks honestly about the struggles of balancing working and parenting.
4. Try To Forgive Yourself
Try to forgive yourself for being a working parent. Remind yourself that you are doing everything you can to provide for your family and yourself, even if that means experiencing feelings of guilt sometimes. You are just a human, and you are doing the best that you can.
5. Ask People For Help
Finally it can be useful to ask people around you for help. This could be asking your partner to contribute more, or it could be hiring a nanny to watch your children while you work. Don’t struggle alone; it is likely that there are lots of people out there who are willing to help you.
