If you are a working mom you’ve experienced the blow to the stomach when that working mom guilt hits. You may feel guilty when you leave your little one crying and run off to an important meeting or you end up making yet another mac and cheese dinner, just because you feel exhausted after a busy day at work.

Just because you’ve chosen to have a blossoming career as well as experience the joys and lows of motherhood, doesn’t mean you have to always juggle between the two and feel like a failure. You’re not less of a mother if you spend more time at the office than with your children.⁠ You don’t have to always feel guilty about your situation. In fact, I believe you should OWN it and be loud & proud of your decision.

Listen, you are doing an excellent job. And your kids will turn out just fine despite the hours you spend away from them.  Take a deep breath.

Here are top 3 tips that work for me, hope they can make you feel better too.

#1 You can’t do it all. Accept it.

You don’t have to do it all. You can’t do it all. Read this out loud, accept it and move on.

You won’t always be there to bake a cake for your baby’s birthday, but you might be there to show him what a rockstar you are when it comes to your work. Your kid doesn’t need an ideal mother. Your kid needs you just the way you are: happy & owning your choices, showing him the example of a person that despite the circumstances knows their worth & respects their own decisions.

Your kid doesn’t need you to give up things you love for him. In fact, I bet he’ll never ask you for it. As simple as it sounds, happy mum = happy child.

#2 Stop caring so much about what other moms might think

I often see other moms competing with each other & that simply doesn’t feel right. The truth is, the actual best mothers you’ll ever met have no need to throw stones at how others parent their children. They’re simply more interested in doing the best they can for their own. 

In my world, there is no one ‘right way’ when it comes to raising children. Just as we all differ in our personalities, the choices that make us & our families feel whole, healthy, and happy differ as well.

Find what works best for you & your family, it’s your life to live and you should only make decisions based on your own opinion.

#3 Spend quality time with your kid

To feel less guilty about not seeing my kid for the majority of the day, I often plan something fun for us to do after work. We never have TV on and I try to stay away from my phone as much as possible after work.

We spend majority of our evenings outside, play, kiss, cuddle & enjoy those hours we get to spend doing the things we love. When it comes to my parenting choices, I believe in quality over quantity.

Just as I dedicate time to work, I dedicate time to be intentional about being fully present to my child. This way, at the end of the day I know he will definitely bring a memory of me simply being there for him, even if it isn’t 24/7.