How to be a happy working Mom

Planning to return to work after maternity leave or following a spell being a stay-at-home Mom?  Nervous about how to juggle work and family? Don’t worry! We bring some quick tips to help you step out more positively and stress-free. 

1.       Statistics have it: Women have been showing up at their offices increasingly and as per research by statista.com, in 2019, females’ contribution to the working space in Singapore was 61.1%, up from 56.5% a decade ago. This, besides the fact that on average, around 72% women in Singapore take a career break – reveals a study on women returning to work by Robert Walters. Yet the new working Moms are welcomed by the corporates and valued for their experience, their ability to multi-task and the will to accept challenges.

2.       Be a role model for your kids - Have faith in yourself and the reason why you chose to be a working Mom. Be proud of your accomplishments and share your journey with your children as they grow. They’ll feel pleased to have confident parents and grow up as better individuals. Research suggests girls will more likely think of having a career too and boys turn more responsible towards work and family. Studies reveal that working Moms are considered to be a positive role model for their kids.

3.       Organise and make time – Chalking out schedules that work best for you and your family is a good way to organise things at home and in the office. Set reminders so you don’t miss out on anything important. This can help you make some quality time in between packed agendas, so you can turn lunch or dinner making into team effort, enjoy an ice-cream or play a game with your kids on way back from the day care or initiate conversations with them before bed-time. All these can be good stress-busters to keep you going.  

4.       Make yourself aware and flexible – It’s a good idea to enhance your knowledge on what could possibly cause you Mom guilt – a feeling that makes you think that you are not matching up to the expectations as a parent. Reading up about it and talking to other working Moms can help. Harvard Business School Professor Kathleen McGinn’s research shows that maternal employment doesn’t affect kids’ happiness in adulthood. McGinn and her colleagues discovered that adult kids of working Moms are high achievers at work and are as happy as the kids of stay-at-home Moms. All the more reason for employed Moms to work and raise happy children.

5.       Be realistic and set your own goals – What other working Moms are doing shouldn’t affect your decisions. Choose realistic goals for yourself and your family. It’s important not to get influenced by celebrity lifestyle or fall into the trap of unhealthy competitive parenting by comparing what is being flaunted on social media about enrolling the kids in multiple enrichment, sports and music classes. You have to figure out what’s best for your children.

In the end, it’s all about how you take care of yourself and be a super-Mom in your own terms.  

Apps to take some load off working Moms -

Cozi family organizer – An app that connects the family and keeps track of where everybody is. From family calendar, synced grocery list to reminders, all sorted in one go. Available on- App Store, Google Play Store

Bright parenting – Get variety of information on good parenting from books and the Internet delivered on your phone. Seek answers to your parenting woes through short videos and quick lessons – ideal for busy working parents. Available on - iOS, Android

ClassPass – For the working mothers who don’t get time to work-out on a fixed schedule. This one membership connects you to a wide choice of work-outs as per your convenience. Book a class at a top studio near you, livestream a class, enjoy a work-out session out of 4,000 on demand audio/videos available or simple relax and meditate with the app. Available on – App Store, Google Play Store


Subscribe to our e-newsletter your Workplace Community to receive content around

  • Hacks and ideas to enrich your work-life experience and well-being
  • Community stories and features
  • Upcoming events and promotions for the CapitaLand office community and more!

 

You might also like...