You know that woman who looks away every time the teacher, or another mom, starts talking about attending yet another school event or volunteering for school functions at 10:45am or any other time during “working hours”…Yes, that one…That was me, not too long ago…And I’m not ashamed to admit it…
I mean, yes, I did feel those pangs of motherly guilt every time I had to explain to my daughter that I may not be able to attend the Halloween morning parade on a weekday…Or that I may have to choose between volunteering for the walk-a-thon or the recital, because I couldn’t do both and keep my job and edges at the same time…
With a full-time career, a side hustle, two kids, and laundry that never seems to end, how can we, as working moms, manage to possibly attend school PTA events, or volunteer for the Christmas Bazaar (all of which happen on working days, AND during work hours)? And did I mention the pile of flyers every week or so from the kids’ school? And if you add to it soccer practice, piano recitals, birthday parties, and other kids’ social commitments, we might as well forego sleeping altogether…
Yet, as I looked over at my kids, I realized being a part of their education doesn’t just mean sending them off to school with matching socks and their breakfast semi-eaten every day…
It’s also being aware of and contributing to whatever institution is helping in shaping their view of the world…Which is all well and good and noble, but as working moms, we still have loads of other commitments , including our careers, to squeeze in somehow in those 24 hours….
So how, as a working mom, do you make time to attend and be a part of your kids’ school events, when your calendar is already overflowing and your to-do list is all over the place?
Take a Deep Breath, and Repeat After Me: “I Can’t Do It All”
Making peace with the fact that, as working moms and working parents in general, we can’t possibly do it all (and we wouldn’t want to, anyways), is the first step. I remember getting all the flyers from the kids’ school about events to attend and participate in, and progressively sweat my edges off as I attempted to reconcile my crazy calendar.
In between the guilt, the desire to do it all, and just running out of deodorant to control all that nervous sweat, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Hence the need to start with a healthy realization that you can’t do it all…And that’s ok…
It’s a Picking Game!
In line with not being able to do it all, try and pick those non-negotiable events you must attend or participate in.
Between making it to the fiftieth violin recital or not missing a single parent-teacher conference, try not missing the parent-teacher conference. If it matters for the future of your child, whether it’s a parent-teacher meeting or a fundraiser for a new tech lab, you may have to mark it as priority.
And if there are chances neither you nor your baby wound remember it next month, forgive yourself and hit the “skip” button….
Plan Ahead
It can be a challenge to drop everything and run to every possible school event your kids may have. But planning ahead can allow you to do more, minus the stress and headaches.
A good way to do this is to implement a family calendar that the entire family can update. I personally use Google calendar that I share with the rest of my tribe. This way, everyone can add their own events and update it.
Planning ahead will allow you to ask for days off or work from home days early enough, and save yourself some last-minute stress. Or make peace with missing that fiftieth violin recital…
How do you manage to attend your kids’ school events?
The Corporate Sis.
