Working from home has been the biggest blessing for me and my family. I am fortunate enough to be able to eat breakfast with my kids, drive them to school, and I get to be home when they’re sick. Most importantly, I get to stay home with my toddler rather than use my entire check to pay for daycare. Being a working stay at home mother is a great thing, but it also comes with many challenges. Here are the biggest challenges work from home moms like me face when returning to work full time.

The Mom Guilt

I felt guilty for not cooking as often and for not volunteering at my daughter’s school. But even worse was the guilt I felt for spending less time playing with my toddler.  And she hated it just as much as I did! We spent so many mornings and afternoons crying together wishing I’d never accepted a corporate job again. However, my employer was incredibly supportive and encouraged me to keep on trying. And to be completely honest, my boss is literally the only reason I did not quit during my first month.

Most of us mother’s need bosses like them, someone who despite not having children of their own, understands the difficulties and is willing to be flexible enough to make it possible for working moms like us to remain present in today’s workforce.

Time Management

One of the most difficult things for us was task and time management. This is very common for work from home moms and dads. I feel like this was a bit more difficult for me since this was my first job after 6 years of being a stay at home mom. It was difficult to focus solely on work while there were piles of laundry and dishes the size of Mt. Fuji. Not to mention the endless pleads for snacks and Netflix show requests. The truth is you will have to set a schedule for every week and set goals for every day. I quickly learned that failure to have a plan for my day resulted in me trying to do every single task in one day. Which led to me being cranky by 4pm everyday.

Letting Go 

And I am referring to letting go of the fact that my home was no longer going to look like one of those staged rooms in Ikea. It just wasn’t! And I needed to understand that I no longer was a stay at home mom, I am now a work from home mom.

As a work from home mother your day now includes a full 8 hour work day, and there is no way you could spend the same amount of time cleaning, cooking, and organizing anymore. And yes, some days the mess can get so overwhelming, but eventually you will find the routine that works for your family.

It took our family 6 months to figure out what works best for us.

Quality Time

After juggling a toddler with work, and having to drop off and pick up the older kids from school, you bet your bottom dollar that quality time is not on our minds. I know, it is definitely not mine.

Game nights and baking cookies are not a frequent thing in my home anymore. It takes a lot of effort and planning to do these things and I just don’t have the energy.

Weekends are packed with running errands, house chores, and working on home projects, making it even harder to squeeze in quality time. We’ve had to figure out activities we can do together that are simple enough to sprinkle in throughout the week.

Self Care 

Finding me time! My time was difficult when I was a stay at home mom, but as a work from home mom it is even more difficult to come by.

Between work and family it is easy for us moms to forget to care for ourselves. We skip meals, drink less water, and even skip showers sometimes! With it being so easy for us to neglect our basic needs, of course we’re not making time to treat ourselves as often. I know I’ve skipped out on dinners with friends, nail salon visits, and I’ve definitely neglected my hair.

We need to squeeze ourselves into our busy schedules! Even if that time looks like a short 30 minute break to read a new book, watch an episode of your favorite show, or maybe even a quick workout.

Dinner Time

Dinner time is one of the biggest challenges we face as a two working parent household. Takeout and fast food was our go-to for the first few months while we figured out ways to adjust to this new life. Even though this kept us all fed it was not the best decision we could make for our family.

On top of gaining weight it also became a huge expense! As a family of five, picking up fast food easily runs a $50 tab each time. And for the healthier takeout options, easy $100 tab.

We had to figure out simple at home meals for our busy schedules, and yes having sandwiches for dinner is totally acceptable!

Conclusion

If there is one thing that you should take away from this is that you need to give yourself grace. These struggles you are facing while transitioning to being work from home moms simply take time. With trial and error you will surely find what works for your family and what does not. For tips on how to work from home with a toddler check out this post.