Working mother of 3 kids: Problems and survival ideas

Imagine you enter your living room and find your 5 YO girl’s silky tresses entwined into the fingers of the 7 YO boy and her left feet into his mouth. Your 3 something has tumbled all the fruits from the dining and has spilled the milk jar too. You just stepped out to the nearby medical store to pick some urgent supplies after a busy workday and the house is chaos now.

Sounds familiar?

Then you are a working mother having 3 kids who are challenging you each day to live it peacefully juggling between the office and home and doing the chores in between. You deserve a salute.

Related: Top 10 Ways to Tackle Challenges for Working Parents Like a Pro

You still have your bad days and problem areas. Do you need a hand to help with? Well, we can at least give you some survival ideas to manage these challenges.

Worrisome workplace

You had to leave an ongoing meeting because the school called about your sick kid. Or you might have to take a half-day post lunch for the sports function at school. Such scenarios triple themselves if you have 3 kids to nurture. You need to leave the office early for picking kids from school at 4 PM or from daycare every day. So you manage by going to work in the early hours. But your coworkers never notice you start early. However, your leaving office before 4 is a topic at the coffee point most of the days.

Your promotion is on hold for you don’t contribute extra hours and stay late. The much-deserved increment has not happened because you went on maternity leave. The leaves you take are marginally higher than your colleagues as you have many unplanned day-offs.

Related: Work-Life balance for Working Women

Related: How to manage life as working mother!

Survival Idea:

You can finish your pending tasks late in the night after kids have snoozed. Reply to important emails and plan the next day.
Talk to your employer about workarounds when things go out of hand like work from home.
Use your leaves wisely.
Take shorter coffee breaks if that helps and increase productivity by avoiding distractions of internet surfing, social media, and chit-chats.
Work on the weekend if possible have arrangements with your extended family and take a complimentary off when needed. Many organizations give comp-offs.

Peacemaker Parent

When you have 3 kids, fights and arguments are inevitable at home. Your role as a mother dons the costume of a peacemaker among the kids in such a situation. The eldest may blame for being partial to them. The youngest may feel neglected. Even your husband may feel neglected with your overindulgence with kids.

Related: Healthy snacking for working mother

Your home would become a warzone without prior notice at the most unexpected time. Follow these:

Survival Idea:

Never ignore the eldest child for the youngest kid.
Inculcate sharing skills into the younger children from initial days.
Show and teach your children, how to handle their small conflicts.
Keep your calmness intact and talk to them individually after peace ensues.
Learn to ignore small conflicts.

Time Troubles

Your sleeping hours are seldom above 6 hours, even shorter when the teething kid calls for your attention in the nightly hours. Your days never suffice when the chores are limitless. The weekends are never enough and you are always on the run.

Did you forget an important date lately? Or you forgot to wish your parents on their anniversary because you never had time to think.

Related: Top 11 Indian Mom’s Blogs To Follow

Survival Idea:

Reduce watching TV
Prioritize your work
Plan your next day, week, and even months. Pre-planning may not give you extra time, but it definitely creates room for adjustments.
Ask for help, this is the golden rule you should not shy away from.
Mark reminders for important dates. Or just use your wall calendar to highlight an upcoming day.

Money Matters

You always worry about extravagant purchases you splurged on during your last mall visit. You did binge shopping online recently and now you are regretting it. With kids and their growing needs, money has to be dealt with tight hands and wisely. After all, money is a crucial aspect.

Related: Baby’s first summer: Great tips for new moms

Survival Idea:

Plan your finances well in advance.
Keep a coin box at home to drop in coins. They may appear menial now but can help later.
Invest in good baby gear rather than cheaper ones so that you can hand them down to younger siblings in good condition rather than buying new ones altogether.
Do not shy away from taking financial advice from experts and fellow mothers.
Spend wisely in outings and shopping, go with a list, and don’t disobey it.
Plan the birthdays at home with simple décor and homemade food.

Super Mommy Syndrome

A supermom is a myth as long as you stress yourself over it. Don’t get guilt to ride you that you are not doing well as a mother. The kids need to be left at creche or in the care of babysitters/friends/relatives but that is how most of the moms manage. Becoming a super mom is an illusion. So shrug off the syndrome. If you still feel the paranoia getting in your head, see our tips here:

Survival Idea:

Set realistic expectations with yourself. You also have just 24 hours in hand like every other person. So, utilize them wisely.
Never compare yourself with other mothers, or in that matter, your kids to other kids.
Master the art of delegation – teach your kids to start helping you in smaller tasks like arranging dishes, setting up the dining, folding clothes, etc.
Ask for help from husband and relatives. There is nothing wrong with this.
Accept that before a mom, you are a human with your own emotional needs.

Related: How Kindergarten Is Important For Your Kids

Personal Pampering

As a busy working mother, you always miss taking time for yourself, to relax and to follow your hobbies. It also limits time with the husband. You feel exhausted and torn apart between personal life and work. This causes a downfall in your mental health and physical fitness also gets affected. See below ideas to get some ‘ME’ time:

Survival Idea:

Take rest at weekends, lie down even if you cannot sleep when you get a chance.
Go to a spa or a message when possible. This will both reboot your mental and physical health.
Start light exercises like yoga or walks.
Ask for a babysitter if your finances permit.
Request your extended family to take care of the kids when possible.
Send kids to their grandparents on vacations if the latter agrees. Kids need their time and love. And maybe, a little education from them.
Plan for a yearly vacation. If that is not possible, go for a picnic.
Take out time for your hobby to rekindle the energy, even if that is just a fortnight affair.
And most of all, go out for a few hours with your husband. Connect with him without work and kids in your discussion. Just you and him.

The best way to cease struggling as a working mother is to calm down, plan a little, and take things as they come. Go with the flow. Life has a habit of throwing problems at our faces. Problems never cease, they just change the shape (and size too!). So, smile and face them together with family.

Did we miss any amazing tips that you are following? We would be happy to hear from you. Comment them below.