How do you keep a balance between work and family life?

@asyria51 (2861)
United States
September 17, 2011 8:14am CST
I put my career on hold, taking a job with less pay and less responsibilities when I found out that I was pregnant with my child. Yes I was still working, but work never came home with me. I dropped my daughter off at the sitter at 8 am on the nose and then it was just a block or so to work at the school where I was decided to take a teacher aide position. I walked out the door of school at 3:30 and had no outside responsibilities other than a half hour meeting one day a month. I would get two hours of quality time with my daughter in the AM, and 4 and a half in the PM. She did her two naps at the sitters house. When she would go to bed, I would have time to get laundry done and sit down and watch a movie with my husband. Now, I am back to full time teaching. My contract says i have to be in the school building either 7:30 to 3:30 or 8 to 4. We have to set the schedule up in advance. But most days I am there at 7:30 and feel like I have to leave by 4:30 so I can spend time with my child. However at the end of the longer day, and more responsibility I am finding that my patience for my child is less than I would like it to be. When Iget home I just want to spend a half hour by myself, but feel horrible putting her in front of the TV especially on nice days. So I play with her until she goes to bed at 8. Then I have papers to grade, tests to write, parent contact through email to attend to. Add to that the pile of laundry, and dishes. Lately it is my husband who gets the shaft. I have a feeling that it will get easier with time. The beginning of the year is full of meetings and those will slow down from every week to every other week starting in Oct. So I will have a bit more time to do the grading in my contractual day. But in the mean time I feel like I have no me time, because I have to be a teacher, I have be a mom, I have to be a homemaker, and I have to be a wife.
2 people like this
3 responses
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
19 Sep 11
Sometimes finding the time to get everything done that you want too, and being able to find time to spend with your family can be a hard thing. Due to medical reasons I had to have my hrs. at work switched from my days off being Saturday and Sunday to Thursday and Friday. I work Swing shift, and my husband works days so this gives us a lot less time now to spend together and talk, etc. Personally I think it is just a matter of Balance. Set yourself a schedule once you get time to be able to get done with all you are wanting to accomplish, and if you believe in Prayer pray for help and in time everything will work out.
@asyria51 (2861)
• United States
22 Sep 11
I have always believed in prayer. I think my prayer was answered in a backhanded way though. I got the laundry folded last night, or really this morning when I could not sleep at 2am. Since that is done, and my husband put our daughter to bed...my papers are graded. I am going to take some me time and soak in a hot tub.
@surfer222 (1714)
• Indonesia
18 Sep 11
i'm not married but in my mind i always ask myself the same question. As a designer my working hour is not limited from 8 to 4 but from the moment i wake up until i go to bed, even in sunday i always work. Now i even don't have enough time to build a relationship. So right now i'm trying to get passive income from the internet so in the future i don't have to work so hard.
@asyria51 (2861)
• United States
18 Sep 11
My work comes home with me, and today I will be bringing my daughter into work. I left Friday without being ready for the whole week, which I absolutely hate, but it was already 4:40, I still had to run to the bank to get money for the sitter. I had also had a computer snafu and deleted some work in a program that I am not too familiar with, so I have to re-do that stuff.
@viney17 (688)
• Philippines
17 Sep 11
you just need to budget your time with your family and your time in your school work just like a student do, there are times when you dont have time for your family but try hard to be with them atleast at sundays
@asyria51 (2861)
• United States
17 Sep 11
I worked my butt off this week and sacrificed my lunch time to get stuff done so I would have this weekend free from school obligations, or at least lessen them. I have a first 4 weeks reflection paper to write, but it is mostly written because I spend 10 minutes each day reflecting on that particular day. However, my husband got an offer he could not refuse. $800 to work a convention in Chicago for a friend. This convention is usually our friends biggest of the year, but his child was admitted to the hospital with an unknown condition. My husband and i have both worked for him before and he really wanted both of us (he would have paid us both $800), but we did not have anyone to watch our child.