Wounded Heroes
Surviving as a Working Mom
The tips below provide helpful information that could help lessen the stress on you as a working mother:
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Keep connected with your child's caregivers. Get regular updates on your child's progress. This can help quell some of your feelings of guilt of leaving your little ones each day.
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Don't sweat the small stuff. If your child wants to wear a Superman t-shirt over his clothes every day, let him. If your child is not harming himself or others, let it go. Be flexible and open to new ideas and options. Picking your battles can save you a lot of time and grief.
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Don't feel guilty or panic if your child gets upset when you leave in the morning. Smaller children don't understand that you will return after work. Your child will begin to understand that you'll come home at the end of the day.
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Don't try to be supermom. Don't feel bad If you can't make it to every game, practice, recital or school play. Accept help when your loved ones offer it.
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Keep the “essentials” on hand. Accidents inevitably happen throughout the day, so have blankets, wet naps, changes of clothes, diapers, snacks and small toiletries on hand.
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Resist the “keeping up with the Joneses” syndrome. Many military wives feel the pressure to be the best wife or mother on base. Thinking like this will only cause you unnecessary strain and worry.
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Take a break. Drop the kids off with a babysitter, friend or family member for a few hours and do something for yourself. Go shopping, enjoy a cup of coffee read a book or get a manicure.
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Don't know how to do something? Take a class. Many local community centers or community colleges offer courses on everything from cooking to child psychology.
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Get enough sleep. Proper rest is important to maintaining productivity. If your children rob you of a proper night's sleep, they need to be trained to sleep through the night:
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Don't exercise or drink alcohol for a few hours before bed.
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Avoid using your bed for anything other than sleep. Working or watching TV from bed can make you associate your bed with wakefulness.
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When you get up to check on a crying infant, keep interaction with the baby down to a minute. This way the child will learn to soothe themselves and return to sleep if awakened.
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Toddlers who run to you in the middle of the night can benefit from the same techniques as infants. Also, establish a consistent bedtime routine. This will help your child feel more secure and ready for bed.
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Keep preschoolers in bed by resisting their attempts to stay up later. Keep bed-time stories, kisses and hugs to a minimum.
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After-school activities and homework can over-stimulate school-age children so that they are not ready to go to bed when the time comes. Try to schedule all your children's activities early in the day so they have more time to decompress for bed in the evening.
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