Tips for handling being a working mum

I found these on the internet. I thought they might help - especially those that have to go back to work soon.

Feel free to add your own tips.

1) Accept that you are a working mum;

2) Stop feeling guilty. Banish all the inner voices that are saying things like 'Good mums stay at home and always put their children first';

3) Don't allow other people to make you feel guilty, especially those at work. You have to leave at 5 because you are a mum, not because you're shirking your work responsibilities;

4) Ignore research and reports that tell you about the 'devastating' effects working mothers have upon their our children. For every 'gloom and doom' report there are others that tell a very different story. The most important factor in a child's development is not whether or not their mum goes to work but whether or not mum is happy;

5) Get good quality childcare. You don't want to spend time at work worrying about your child. Spend time looking at a range of different nurseries and childminders. A lesson I learnt early on is that the quality of the carers is far more important than quality resources. Go with your gut feeling on this, it's usually right;

6) Get the support of your partner. When your child is sick you don't want to waste time arguing about whose job is more important;

7) Let your standards slip. It's not possible to be a working mum and have a perfect home. If you try and aim for this you'll burn yourself out. Get help if you can afford it;

8) When your children get a bit older try and explain to them the reasons why you go to work. I explained to my 5 year old only the other day that the reason I work was so she could have all those nice thing like dancing/ swimming/parties. She wants me to carry on working;

9) Develop a good support network, family, friends, neighbours who can help out in a childcare crisis. Offer to do the same for them;

10) Reduce the morning stress. Get everything ready the night before - don't waste valuable time hunting for shoes! Leave a supply of nappies/clothes with your childminder or nursery if you can;

11) Know your rights. Parents of children under 6 now have the right to ask their employer to consider flexible working;

12) Focus on the positive. When you've had a bad day, make a list of all the positive reasons you go to work.

Um yeah, number 8

FionaS wrote: Number 10 is the only way I cope...get everything ready the night before. It makes a world of difference and I can still manage to get myself "office ready" rather than running out looking like a fright. Only work 2 days per week though so would find it hard to do it all every day.

I'm shocking at number 10. There's too much to do already the night before (folding washing, making dinner, bathing and bedding a toddler, doing dishes, tidying up etc) I guess spending time online right now isn't really helping me get ready though - especially since there's a pile of washing behind me, dishes in the sink and a bomb called Michaela hit the lounge earlier so I need to tidy that too.