How to Stay Sane and Work
- Share with your partner.
Don't always be the last to leave your home in the morning and the first to come home from work at night.
- Ask for and accept as much help as you can get from relatives or any extended family you may adopt.
If they want to shop or baby-sit say, "YES, YES, YES.
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- Work with your caregiver or daycare center to structure your toddler's day.
- Call home and talk (even if it is just to say "I love you") to your toddler at least once a day.
It is very reassuring for the both of you.
- If your child is at a daycare center, whenever possible drop in for a short visit during the day.
- Schedule important appointments, such as those with the paediatrician, for times you can be there.
- Check out playground gossip about your caregiver or child.
You want to be sure that life is going well when you are not around.
For example, if a neighbour says that your baby-sitter is so busy talking to her friends that she barely interacts with your son, investigate before you either ignore the gossip or accuse your sitter.
- Have a backup plan should the dreaded event occur - your baby-sitter gets sick.
It would be ideal if you worked for a company with a drop-off emergency center or if you could leave your child at a trusted relative's house, but whatever your plan, be prepared.
- Even if you feel you can't wait to tell your best friend some of the hottest gossip, it's better when you first come home to give your child some quality time.
Leave your answering machine on or ignore the phone when you have that special time alone with your toddler.
- Make a standing date with your partner.
Hire a baby-sitter for one evening a week so that you have time alone together.
- Have your partner take care of your toddler for a few hours on the weekend so that you have some time for yourself.
- Don't let yourself get burned out.
Instead of saving all your vacation time for the long, hot summer, take a long weekend in the fall, winter, and spring.
- Save the caretaking tasks you enjoy, whether it's your toddler's bedtime story or bath, for yourself.
- Don't blame the fact that you work as the cause of all your toddler's difficulties.
At-home mothers have the same problems, for the most part, with their children.
- Competition can drive you crazy.
The fact is that many toddlers don't talk in sentences until they are three years old.
The fact is that many toddlers don't know their colours until they are three.
The fact is that many toddlers are bad sleepers.
The fact is that many toddlers don't like giving up their diapers.
The fact is that your child may not have a growth spurt until she is twenty-one years old!