Working Mothers And Challenges In Raising Kids

                                      Why Women Work, after giving birth to their children 

Working moms have been the subject of much debate in the parenting arena.

In many families today, mothers continue to work after giving birth to their babies, because they have careers that they have spent years developing. Some women return to work soon after giving birth because they know that most employers are not sympathetic to working mothers who wish to take time off to be with their young children. If these women stop working, even for several months, they may give up some of the advantages they have earned or risk losing certain career opportunities

Not surprisingly, working mothers are more likely to have their infants and toddlers in an out-of-the-home child care center than non employed mothers. However, most three- to five-year-olds are in center-based or preschool programs regardless of whether their mother works outside the home. Parents all want their children to have the best possible start in school, so they are likely to enroll their three- and four-year-olds in a program.

                              

1) Working mothers generally suffer from guilt as they think they are not giving quality time to their kids. 

Journalist Amy Westervelt sums up in her book, ‘Forgive having it all’, the working mom dilemma:

“We expect women to work like they don’t have children, and raise children as if they don’t work.” Because of this, women feel guilty — guilty for working and guilty for not. Blurred boundaries of work time spill into family time, and half listening to your children’s stories from their day or missing out on meaningful time with them can lead moms to feel like they are failing. It feels like a no-win situation, and it fuels feelings of overwhelm, exhaustion, and defeat that can lead to burnout. The good part is working moms are chasing the balance of working a job that they want or need and being the mom that they envisioned.

                    Benefits to spend quality time with your children                                                       

Life is busy, especially for working mothers and families. Children who are spending more quality time with their families are less likely to participate in risky behaviors such as drug and alcohol usage . Showing your children that you love and care for them helps to keep them mentally and emotionally strong

2) If they do not work, they have guilt again as they cannot do justice to their education

A working woman is expected to be a good wife and mother before anything else, never mind her professional status or skills. Many women themselves put a premium on being a good mother at the cost of their work or career. 

3) Added to this there is no joint family system so their worry increases if kids are bound to stay at creche or alone

Earlier there was a joint family system, hence children were brought up by their Grandparents, their paternal aunts and uncles, who took great care of children.

Hence, if mothers were working, still children got attention from rest of the family 

members. Moreover, females didn’t have such strenuous jobs in those days.In society, pregnancy and motherhood are often represented in unrealistic, idealised ways. If a woman and/or her partner’s expectations are very different from the reality, it can make it harder for them to adjust to life with a new baby. Women may set themselves unachievable goals and then become overwhelmed, find it difficult to cope, or feel as though they’ve failed.

They used to return home early, gave quality time to their family, especially 

their children. Working mothers provided positive role models in those days. 

Now, times have changed. Values and lifestyles play an important role in upbringing

of kids. Nowadays, couples prefer to remain in a nuclear family. The corporate culture is the culprit and people lose their balance in working day and night and taking care of their kids. Hence the children are bound to remain alone in their respective homes, else they are put in creche or day care, which hampers their physical and emotional growth.

4) With time they have more demands to perform in office and responsibilities towards kids also increase

As working mothers grow in their careers, expectations from them increase at their professional levels. Moreover children till then grow up and they need the vigilance of their mothers, which remains missing in the case of working mothers.

 And as kids grow they need more attention in terms of counselling, career guidance, their social behaviour etc, 

Mothers want to be like any woman in the world, but there are many problems facing the working mother. First, they do not have enough time in the day to get everything done. They have to do the house work and take care of her children even if she’s tired from her work. 

 And as kids grow they need more attention in terms of counselling, career guidance, their social behaviour etc, 

5) Society’s outlook on working women as ambitious

In society, pregnancy and motherhood are often represented in unrealistic, idealised ways. If a woman and/or her partner’s expectations are very different from reality, it can make it harder for them to adjust to life with a new baby. Women may set themselves unachievable goals and then become overwhelmed, find it difficult to cope, or feel as though they’ve failed.

             Conclusion 

Nothing can prepare a female for motherhood. However, it is important to understand the misconceptions around the 'expectations' of becoming a mother. This truthful article outlines some common myths and offers suggestions to support and encourage you through......