Parents often have a lot going on and it can become a bit of a juggling act to stay afloat. With work, home life and parenting all vying for attention, it can be hard to properly manage each area of your life without getting overwhelmed. On top of this, parents often have to contend with guilt and shame regarding their performance both as a parent and in the workplace. Consequently, this can really add to the levels of stress in daily life, impacting efficacy across many more areas.
Sadly, parental identity threat is often the case in these situations, with many parents feeling judged for prioritising their career over their children. These feelings of shame can impact productivity in the workplace, and even cause some parents to leave their job altogether. With the pandemic blurring the lines between work and home boundaries, the levels of stress and guilt felt by parents has been amplified, especially among women.
Challenges Faced by Working Parents
Work and children are a hard combination to manage. There are some tough challenges out there. For example, work often requires long hours which means keeping parents away from their children for extended periods of time. Depending on the finish time of a job, it can mean shelling out extra expenses for things like child minding or nanny services to pick up the slack. Many parents face the pressure to “do it all”. Hybrid work has enabled parents to be present, but brings with it its own complications alongside parent guilt when their children demand more time than they can give. Organisations and businesses also demand a lot of time, and expect parents to perform at the same level before they had children, and all this is in spite of life-changing responsibilities.
Luckily, there are some steps parents can take to try and reduce this pressure. For example, parents should take the time to set realistic boundaries between work and family. This can help them better manage their time and be more productive and present in both sides of their lives. Within the workplace, it’s a good idea to get support and be open with employers about areas that are hard, finding workarounds and ways to be more productive while still having time for your family. At home, there is a need to build emotional resilience when it comes to feeling judged over any parenting skills. Shame should be reframed as a normal part of being a parent rather than something to be guilty about. It’s also essential to find support networks or a mentor who can understand the pressures of parenthood and work, providing a place to discuss issues and find solutions when things get tough.
Tips for Reducing Financial Pressure
One of the reasons parents often have to juggle children and a job is the financial pressure of having a family. Full-time work is often a necessity for many parents if they are to offer their children a good quality of life. As such, budgeting and money-saving strategies are a must. With this in mind, parents should build healthy money-saving habits such as tracking expenses, setting financial goals and creating detailed budgets.
In a budget, it’s often practical to follow rules such as the 50-30-20 budget framework for more efficient money management. If there are any loans, then it’s best to prioritize paying off high-interest debt to free up resources down the line. Savings should be automated such as using options to save pennies on purchases, and an emergency fund should be built as a backup and a way to avoid any unnecessary stress.
Financial plans should be reviewed regularly too, as this will help parents stay on track for all goals. As part of this, when shopping or making purchases, parents should make use of discount codes and vouchers. These are great ways to reduce the overall household costs and can contribute to better financial stability. The use of codes like these can help families focus on resources or long-term goals without having to sacrifice the quality of the purchases. For starters, the official Discoup website makes the process even easier as they list codes from major brands and retailers in a convenient space. Parents can search for preferred product or brand, using the discount to help them on everyday purchases and costs.
Balancing work and parental roles will always be a challenge. But with emotional strategies, workplace support and smart financial planning, this can be managed. Explore ways to balance your financial well-being without taking more time away from your kids.
