A working mother usually wakes up around 4 a.m.
Do you feel guilty when you go to work and leave your children? Do you then feel guilty if you do not have a job? A typical mother feels guilty either way, so it is a conundrum.
It must be a mother’s job to feel guilty no matter the decision. However, most of us do not have a choice.
The hardest job in America is a working mother/single-working mother or father.
Typical day of a working mother:
- Wake up around 4:00 a.m.
- Get ready for work
- Get the kids ready for the sitter/day care
- Pack lunches – if did not do night before
- Listen to complaints of children that you have to work
- Drink as much coffee as possible
- Take kids to sitter/day care
- Realize you may have on one black boot and one brown boot
- Double check – make sure no kids in backseat still before going to work
- Sit in traffic/take phone calls
- Go over to do list for work – while sitting in traffic
- Almost pee your pants before getting to work – from the coffee
- Get to work late – due to traffic if have a far commute
- Already exhausted – start work
- 5:00 pm – leave work
- Traffic jam – sit in traffic from 5:00 to 6:00 PM
- Pick up kids from sitter/day care
- Kids complain they are hungry
- Arrive home try to make food quickly
- Listen to everyone complain about dinner and how you don’t pay enough attention to everyone
- Try to workout at some point
- 9:00 p.m. – Try to put kids to bed, usually after asking them 20 times to pick up items and get ready for bed
- 9:30 p.m. – Still asking kids to get ready for bed
- 10:00 p.m. – Kids finally in bed!
- 10:15 p.m. – Mommy alone time – time to relax…awwww
One question: Where is the time with the husband during a workday?
A work-home life is a hard balance. Maybe our society has made it to where women have no time for their husbands?
Conclusion: It must be a requirement for a mother to constantly feel guilty about something or someone. Maybe it is a good idea to just try our best and take things one day at a time! 
Are you a working parent? I would love to read what a typical workday is like for your family!
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Anonymous
/ April 3, 2012Thanks for posting this! I teach human development. We are currently learning about midlife. Even though the 30s is still pretty young and a bit of a stretch for “midlife,” your typical day is a great illustration of how people in midlife are pulled in many directions (such as career, caring for children, etc.).
lizfruitberry
/ April 9, 2012Glad I could help!
iptw283
/ April 13, 2012I am a part-time working mother and my work days are my worst days. I have a long commute and the kids are complaining on the way to daycare/school that they are hungry and on the way home that they are hungry. It’s always a long day and I have to get them to bed even earlier because they have to wake up so early so I can get to work on time. I LOVE my stay at home days. They aren’t any easier because SAHM face much different tasks/stress but at least I can get dinner on the table and we can eat w/out filling our face as fast as possible!
lizfruitberry
/ April 13, 2012Yes! I feel guilty when I do not work and then guilty when working. A stay at home mom has a very hard job too! Maybe even harder.