By: Roberta

September 27, 2018

I am sure every mother has this dilemma, do I work or become a stay at home mom? As mothers, we want to give them EVERYTHING. When we’re at work and or school, we miss them. When we’re at home with them, we wish we were at work so that we can provide the best life for them. I sure know I get these thoughts more than often. Being a full time mom, full time student and a part time bank teller isn’t easy.  Most of my days I feel like I spend more time at work or school than with her. It isn’t an easy decision, especially when there are others around you who will judge you for any decision that you do make. Sometimes I’ve felt like my daughter forgets who I am, or isn’t as attached to me. There have been days where I just wish I can quit everything and just raise her full time. However, I took a step back and realized that I am working hard right now so that we can enjoy ourselves later. In the long run she’ll thank me and she won’t remember when mommy wasn’t home all day because of school, being that she’s only one. Always being on the go is stressful at times but I’ve learned how to minimize my stress. I always make her lunchbox and diaper bag the night before along with picking out her outfit. Therefore, I’ll only need to wake her up, brush her teeth and get her dressed while doing what I need to do for myself. Putting her to bed as early as possible has worked too so that she isn’t a grumpy little one in the morning! My advice to any mother or mother to be, do what makes you feel happy and what’s the best for the both of you!Just remember that being a working mother is now more common than ever, ​in the United States today, more than half of mothers with young children work, compared to about one third in the 1970’s.  However, even with this increase of working mothers their is still little access to even the most basic workplace supports, such as job-protected paid parental leave, earned sick days, or quality and affordable child care . Us working mothers need to come together and fight for fairer treatment in the workplace because it not only affects us but will also affect our daughters when they grow older and decide to become working mothers themselves.