Mommy Guilt & Stress When Re-entering the Work Force

by Peta-de-Aztlan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Good Mother:  ”She remembers to serve fruit at breakfast, is always cheerful and never yells, manages not to project her neuroses and inadequacies onto her children, is an active and beloved community volunteer; she remembers to make playdates, her children’s clothes fit, and she does art projects with them and enjoys all their games.  And she is never too tired for sex.”

–From “Bad Mother:  A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace” by Ayelet Waldman

I was out at fruit for breakfast.

Society, family, and friends can all put a great deal of stress on women to be good mothers.  But the pursuit of that goal can be stressful. And, if we fail to meet the perfect mother standard, or, worse, pursue our own desires at the seeming expense of our families, then the result can be guilt.  Major guilt.  Add another layer — returning to work after being a full-time stay-at-home mom. There’s bound to be push back, and that means one thing.  More guilt.  So how to deal?  That was the subject of today’s BlogTalkRadio show with guest expert Colleen Smith, a career coach and therapist at the Women’s Center in Vienna, Virginia and in her own practice Insight Coaching and Counseling.

You can listen to the full show here: