What keeps your plate full these days?
I work at a growing healthcare startup called Avanlee Care. We’ve developed an app to help simplify caregiving for family caregivers, and much like any startup, things are crazy! I’m really excited about our mission and helping unpaid caregivers better manage their load, and it’s been rewarding to work in such a fast-paced environment. We also have a dog and a cat, and 50 houseplants. So we’re pretty busy!
Are your kids in school? Daycare? Who cares for them ?
I just returned to work a few weeks ago. It’s been an adjustment. I have a nanny for 20 hours a week who is in in my home with me caring for my son. Otherwise, it’s just me and him for the rest of the day until my husband gets home! My husband is military, and he’s gone about 10-14 days a month for work, so I single parent about a third of the time.
Do you work because you want to, need to, or some combination of both? What’s your honest answer to the question, “Why do you work?”
I was joking with my husband the other day that my brain is like that of our Border Collie: I need a job or I start getting anxious and antsy. Full-time stay-at-home parents are a different type of tough, and my hat goes off to them. I have never been stretched or exhausted as much as I was during maternity leave and discovered that I need to have a job outside of the home (I work remotely, but you know what I mean) to feel the most like myself. Being able to mentally switch between full-time mom and a full-time worker has been hard, but it’s also been better for me mentally than when I’m not working professionally. I experienced the same mentality when I was furloughed during the 2020 lockdowns, just without the whole managing a small human aspect.
What does your day to day look like?
I was joking with my husband the other day that my brain is like that of our Border Collie: I need a job or I start getting anxious and antsy. Full-time stay-at-home parents are a different type of tough, and my hat goes off to them. I have never been stretched or exhausted as much as I was during maternity leave and discovered that I need to have a job outside of the home (I work remotely, but you know what I mean) to feel the most like myself. Being able to mentally switch between full-time mom and a full-time worker has been hard, but it’s also been better for me mentally than when I’m not working professionally. I experienced the same mentality when I was furloughed during the 2020 lockdowns, just without the whole managing a small human aspect.
How does being a working mom impact your kids — either positively or negatively?
I personally think being a working mom makes me a better mom! I enjoy having a focus outside of my son to put my energy into, and it helps me appreciate him more.
What holds the biggest tension in trying to manage everything?
Everyone always says “it takes a village”, and now that I have a child I understand that. We’re on an isolated military base over 1,000 miles away from our families, and it’s definitely HARD. I call my mom just to vent or cry sometimes. It’s very lonely and that can be a lot mentally.
What’s one resource that would make your life easier?
More support! My husband is great, but when he is gone for work, it’s just me, working full-time, and managing our lives.
How would you encourage other working moms who are overwhelmed?
Figure out a system that works for you! Don’t be scared to ask for help, and find people you can be open and honest with about how you’re feeling.
Any last words for working moms?
It’s okay to admit you’re tired! You don’t have to pretend that everything is perfect all of the time when it’s not. Be professional, but find someone you can confide in about how things really are.
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