Working Mom Guilt

This next week I will be attending a conference in another town 2 1/2 hours away. Instead of driving back and forth each day I decided that it would be best to stay overnight at a hotel. Unfortunately I didn't pay attention to dates and thought it was over the weekend rather than during the week. Last month I realized that I would be away from my daughter for the first time. 

My first instinct was to cancel my registration and just deal with my losses. The nerves I get from leaving her alone just makes me feel guilty. I should paid attention to the dates and found something else. As the saying goes, I'm going to put on my big girl panties and just go with it. 

This is just one example of the many guilty feelings I get. I feel terrible when my daughter is crying in the morning waking her up and she's telling me she doesn't want to go to Tia's. She just wants to cuddle. It kills me inside, but I know in my heart she will be fine. The opposite will happen when I go pick her up and she won't want to leave. 

It kills me to leave her when she's feeling sick. Thankfully when she is my husband is 99% of the time able to take off work allowing me to save my family illness days for the times when he is out of town on business, but no one can be 'mommy doctor'. 

I know that I will be missing her dance classes this coming fall with the way my class schedule is. Although I have a supportive husband and parents who will help me with my daughter I want to be the one gets those moments with her. 



I know I struggle with 'mommy guilt' a lot. I want to do everything for my daughter and be there for every single moment. What helps the most to get past the guilt is having a supportive husband. He constantly is reassuring me that I do a lot for our daughter and she knows she is loved. Secondly I have supportive parents. I honestly don't know what my husband and I would have done so far without them. They are honestly my daughter’s second parents. I know that whenever my husband and I can't be around she with people who love her just as much as we do. Third, have an awesome sitter/ daycare provider. Thankfully my aunt watches my daughter. I'm so blessed that someone who treats her like one of her own watches her. 

There is no easy prescription to treat 'Mommy Guilt', but I've just come to realize that although I have to do something for me. It does not mean that I'm any less of a mom than one that gets to stay home. I just have to pick what's worth it to me. I know that I needed to have some time for myself and rather than taking away time from my little I workout in the early morning while she's still asleep and my husband stays with her in case she wakes up. I know this may not be an option for all, but it really works for our family. There may be times that the husband is out of town and I have to adjust my schedule, but I do what is best for my little and myself. 

Do you ever experience working mom guilt? What do you do about it?