“Did he eat his lunch today?”
“Is anyone bullying him?”
“Did I pack her library book?”
“Does she miss me?”
“Am I missing a first?”
Ah, the mental clutter that occupies the mind of today’s working mom. Most days feel like a whirlwind of rushed mornings, multitasking through the workday, then packing as much love, affection, chores, dinner, bath, stories, bedtime, kitchen clean-up as you can into a three-hour window in the evening before collapsing into bed.
Some days are harder than others, but then some days the universe throws you a bone and you pause amid the chaos to share a knowing, proud look with your husband as your kid does something cute and your heart is so full you think you might just burst in that very moment.
But mostly it’s a crazy balancing act and you wonder how on earth other women manage to raise a family, work full time, keep a clean house, stay fit, maintain a social life, teach their kids manners, read to them and call their mothers, plan birthday parties, RSVP to other kids’ birthday parties, pick up the dry cleaning, and…and…and…
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 70 percent of women in the labor force have children under the age of 17. If you’re one of those women, maybe your day looks a little like this.
5:45 a.m. – The first alarm goes off. You hit snooze for nine more (glorious) minutes.
5:54 a.m. – You’re not ready, but if you don’t get up now, you’ll run late. Get up.
5:55 – 6:10 a.m. – Make coffee, gently wake up the kids, give lots of hugs and kisses, turn on Disney channel, get breakfast started. Take a couple hard boiled eggs, simultaneously high five yourself for thinking ahead and brace for complaints about a “boring breakfast.” Compensate by plating with a mixture of blueberries, strawberries and yogurt.
6:15 a.m. – Coordinate with husband to oversee breakfast consumption so you can shower.
6:45 a.m. – Skip hair drying, pack workout bag, make to-go coffee, kiss family, head to work.
7:02 a.m. – Park, rush to cubicle and log in. Watch 37 new emails populate your inbox. Take a long swig of coffee and get to work.
7:49 a.m. – Apple watch notifies you that Lindsey just finished a workout. Respond with fire emoji because you both know your 20-year class reunion is coming up this summer. Feel a rush of warm fuzziness because you just lifted your friend up and hopefully helped brighten her morning with your encouragement.
8:14 a.m. – Eat the last hardboiled egg you packed for yourself. Make a mental note to make more tonight.
8:22 a.m. – A notification comes through on your phone that your kindergartener just did a thing on the parent app. Ignore it because you’re prepping for a 9:00 a.m. meeting but come back to it because hello, mom guilt.
8:53 a.m. – You’re as ready as you can be for your 9:00 a.m. Bathroom break and question if you’ve actually brushed your teeth today.
9:00 – 9:23 a.m. – Meet with creative team on deliverables for the day. Add three items to your to-do list.
9:24 to 10:30 a.m. – Ride the coffee high and grind through that list. You can do this.
10:31 a.m. – Triumphantly submit this morning’s work for review and high five yourself once again for meeting your deadlines. Submit an offering to the coffee gods and make yourself another one (only 4 oz this time). Make a mental note to drink tea the rest of the day. Remind yourself of the last time you drank an afternoon coffee and were up till 11 p.m. cleaning the kitchen?
10:32 a.m. – Your stomach is growling. Is it too early for lunch? Drink coffee in haste, resist the donuts in the breakroom. Eat a banana. Grind some more on that blog post about homeless veterans.
11:10 a.m. – You’ve waited long enough. It’s lunch time. Heat up your chicken and rice leftovers, aka fuel for your noon workout. Work while you eat. Shoo away that guy who has nothing to do and tries to stop by your cubicle for some time-killing convo.
11:58 a.m. – Turn in your work. Time to work out.
Noon to 1:00 p.m. – Run 2.5 miles, skip the weights, do some crunches, make your Apple watch proud. Get swole for that reunion in five months.
1:02 to 3:30 p.m. – After a concepting meeting about a new project and updating the editorial calendar for the quarter, thoughts about the children start creeping in. You check your personal email and notice a couple of photos from your 4-year-old’s daycare have come in. Aw, it looks like she’s having fun but can’t help but notice something off. Is that a new bruise or just a shadow?
3:31 to 4:10 p.m. – You issue a media advisory for an upcoming event and wrap up a press release but can’t get the potential bruise idea out of your head. Make a mental note to check her body – actually both kids – for wounds and now that you think of it, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check in on the bullying front. Do a quick Google search for “How to talk to your kids about bullying” before logging off and heading out for the day.
4:35 p.m. – Pick up your kindergartener, Amy, from after-school care. She cheerfully greets you but stops mid-run to scratch her head. Your heart sinks because you know the lice aren’t fully gone and she’s probably been uncomfortable all day and you probably have to meticulously comb through her hair for the fourth consecutive night, which takes about 45 minutes.
4:45 p.m. – Pick up your four-year-old, Nellie, from daycare, whose devilish grin and deep set eyes imply a skipped nap. You squint your eyes and still can’t tell if it’s a bruise on her forehead. The reunion is happy nonetheless and you savor the moment as you carry your “baby” out, holding Amy’s hand and wonder how in the world did you get so lucky (and strong enough to balance a 34-lb child on your hip).
4:47 p.m. – Nellie cries all the way home because Amy is looking at her (the horror!). You’re not trying to hear that right now so you say, “OK that’s enough,” and turn up the Meghan Trainor song.
5:02 p.m. – Your second shift begins as you kick off your ballet flats and slip on your house shoes. Thoughts of mice singing “Cinderelly, cinderelly, night and day…” creep into your head.
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