Does becoming a mother entail giving up on your career? This is a question all women face at some or another point in their careers. Be it your first child or second, whether it’s a newly born or a bit older one, a mother has to think about her child’s upbringing. A good percentage of working women give up on their careers each year to fulfil the responsibilities of motherhood. My question is how do working mothers fulfil their responsibilities? Do the children with working mothers go through a different growing up experience? Well, childhood does get difficult without a mother around, but you can work smartly and manage both worlds simultaneously, if you are reluctant to let go of your career, post motherhood.
Pick up a part time job
It is actually difficult to give up on your prospering career just because you became a mother. I am not saying that motherhood isn’t worth it, but why give up on your career when you can manage things with a bit of adjustment? Try taking up a part time job, so that you stay in touch with your profession as well while looking after your child.
Work in shifts
If you don’t prefer to work part time, you can choose to work in shifts. There are a lot of companies which offer rotational shift hours; you can choose to work in any one shift as per your convenience. This would allow you to divert equal time to both your career and your child.
Work as a full time freelancer
You can also start to work as a freelancer. This is probably the best option to keep your professional and personal life in complete harmony. As a freelancer, you would have no time restrictions on you. You have all the time to prioritize things and work accordingly. The only problem which freelancing mothers face is that they end up with spending too much of their time managing household work which leaves them with very short time for the professional work.
Take help from some relatives
Many a times, women take help of their relatives who either live alone or have grown up children in their own families. If you have any such relatives who can come over and live at your place and look after your child in your absence, that would be a good option. You can concentrate strictly on your career then.
Hire a nanny
If all else fails, the only option left with you is to hire a nanny. They are the best people to turn to in such situations. Since they work for money, you won’t have to take favours from anyone else either. Most nannies are experienced, so you can be sure that your child will grow up learning the basics well.
Giving up on your career is not the best thing to do, post motherhood. Managing your career and the responsibilities of a mother side by side is a challenge. Take the challenge sportingly and you will know how important they both are for you.