Working Moms... It's Time To Ditch The Guilt!

Guilt – the ubiquitous mommy accessory. And no mother experiences it more than those who work outside the home. But guilt does little other than increase your stress and keep you awake at night. Here’s why, and how, to overcome it.

- Tracey Hawthorne

Being a stay-at home mom has become a luxury for most families – the reality is that two incomes are a necessity for most South Africans to keep up with the ever-increasing cost of living. For mothers who have to work, the sacrifice is huge – it means being forced to leave their precious little ones in the care of helpers, family or crèches. The guilt that often accompanies this can be truly crushing for moms.

The truth is that this guilt is an empty and useless emotion, draining you without adding anything productive to your life. Here are six steps to getting over it.

1 WORK OUT WHY YOU’RE FEELING GUILTY

“Assess your reasons for working in the first place,”says clinical psychologist, Thandazile Mtetwa, who practises at Ngezwi Psychological Services in Gauteng. “For most mothers, they need that job to secure the very wellbeing of their child or children.”

When you look at it like this – that the alternative to your working is not being able to provide properly, socially, emotionally and physically for your children – you will begin to see the pointlessness of your guilt. What this comes down to is that your working is actually part of you being a good mother.

2 TRUST YOUR CHILD’S CAREGIVERS