Feeling guilty as a working parent is completely normal, even Daisy Pearce thinks so. After chatting with Daisy, she left us with some great tips to take on board to help you with the juggle:
- Going to work is often your only ‘me time’ or outlet, so you need to make sure it is an enjoyable and uplifting experience. I am fortunate to love both what I do and the colleagues I get to work with. It sounds a bit dramatic, but if it wasn’t that way, I would have to change something, it’s that important to what happens in the rest of your life.
- Be organised – my partner and I both work shifts and have irregular work patterns, so planning the week ahead is crucial. On the weekend we will go through our mental diaries for the week ahead, planning pick-ups, cooking and so on.
- Related to the second point above, sharing the load is vital. That isn’t just about sharing the household chores between my partner and I, or giving each other a few hours to ourselves, it’s about feeling less guilt about who our kids will spend time with. I think for children it’s the quality of the time they spend with you and others that’s important, not the quantity. And it doesn’t all have to come from you as their parents. Spending quality time with grandparents and friends is just as important, for both parties.