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Sometimes balancing work and life gets too overwhelming and you just have that urge to scream into a pillow. Unfortunately, for those of us with children, that is not quite possible. Figuring out a successful work life balance can be a challenge.
Dealing with children especially can be a hard challenge in those wee hours in between coming home from work and going to sleep. Children are the greatest blessing one can ask for, but between after school practices, picking them up from school, cooking dinner, helping with homework and inter-children fights, the stress can get overwhelming, especially for single working parents.
This list is a survival list of sorts of tips to help maintain that work life balance while being able to have fun with your kids.
1. Do not get caught up in the little things: If your toddler wants to wear his underwear on his head every day, let him do it. Things that are not hurting anyone and are not breaking any school rules are fine.
2. Be honest and upfront with your child about going to day care: Read books about it together (there are countless children's stories involved day care), joke about it, and make it a game! Make your children excited about going to day care during the day.
3. Be open to new ideas: This includes things your children offer, even if they seem outrageous. Opening yourself to ideas can be a fun experience.
4. Do not panic when your child cries when you leave: When you leave children at a day care, you are approaching their trust when you tell them "I'll be back later". Children have a hard time understanding that concept when they hear it, but when you continue to say it and continue to show up in the afternoon, your children will not only learn to trust you, but will cry less when you leave.
5. Accept help: If a parent, neighbor, sibling, or other parent offers to watch the kids, take the chance! Having a few hours by yourself can help you unwind and distress from the hectic work days.
6. Keep duplicates of "vital stuff": This includes everything from extra bottles to extra blankets. Keep extras of things in your trunk and in a drawer at the office.
7. Get organized: While this is easier said than done, planning a menu for the week or packing the diaper bag the night before will really help your work life balance.
8. Abandon the idea of a "perfect home": no home I've ever been in with children is 100% clean, has nothing but healthy food and have children who never get their clothes dirty.
9. Do not be afraid to occasionally order in or pick up dinner: the occasional take out is not going to harm your children.
10. Create a neighborhood parent babysitting co-op: one Friday or Saturday every month, offer to have the neighbor's children over for a sleepover. The next weekend, they return the favor and so on and so forth.