Summer…A Working Mom’s Biggest Challenge?

Summer – it’s a time for the pool, barbeques and a laid back frame of mind, right?  As a working mom, I cannot say that I agree.  The school year is full of places to go, people to see, and projects to be completed, but at least it is not up to me to decide where and when my children should be. Day in and day out there is one constant, they go to school and I go to work.

Summer on the other hand is totally different. There is often too much pressure on working moms when it comes to summer vacation. Where should I send the kids? Will they be happy? Every week is different obstacle to be overcome.  There is no regular schedule or organized transportation like the school bus picking them up, and sometimes it can actually add to my schedule.  Am I being a bad mom by not allowing them to have a ‘true vacation’ – always making them get up early and go somewhere just so I can make ends meet and further my career?

As women, we naturally want to be the best moms we can be, and in large part that is trying to provide a healthy physical and emotional balance in the home. Our nurturing selves want to be there for kids in the summer – to take them to the beach, the park or the zoo; but we also want them to know that life is not always run on a schedule and taking it easy is also part of a balanced life.

I realize that there is much to be gained from a jam-packed summer of friends, activities, and both sleep away and day camps – I myself, spent many exciting weeks at various camps – basketball, tennis, Girls State – and I didn’t even have a working mom.  And even though I understand and even appreciate the value, I sometimes I have to wonder… how many days are there left till school starts again??

Sophia Lidback is Product Manager at Exaserv, where her responsibilities include managing product development, writing and editing technical and functional user manuals and managing customer relations with respect to product implementation.  Sophia is a wife and mother of 4.