Being a Momager: How to Balance Work Life and Mum Life in a Pandemic

Words Hannah George

When Boris Johnson announced another national lockdown of six weeks, you may have thought, “oh no! What do I do now, how do I manage my business and my child's educational needs and their free time?” Let me begin by saying sometimes no help is the best help, because you really discover some hidden skills and talents as well as build more strength and resilience, because guess what? You can and will get through this. Here are a few tips to get you through the next few weeks.

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Forget the term lockdown

Six weeks is the average length of a child’s summer holidays and we all know that usually goes very quickly! Why dont you name each week? This week could be called ‘the week of creativity’ so you can do something that allows yourself and your child to be creative. This could be through acting as if you are a chef and your child gives you scores on your overall cooking skills, the presentation and the taste. This will help you to both look forward to something at the end of the day and it will be fun! Additionally, you need at least one thing in the day to bring you all together as you are probably both busy and may not get that quality time to do so.

Become a master problem solver and make it fun!

A lot of the time, we shy away from solving our own problems not because we can't but because we usually understand everyone else's voice but ours. We can know the steps to solve an issue, but we are too lazy or get distracted. Be more intentional to have a keen mind to solve problems and be more diligent to follow through with what you plan to do to find the solution. To make it fun, everyday keep a record of how many problems you manage to solve, no matter how big or small.

Do not compare yourself 

Move in your own lane. If you run on someone else’s time and expectations, you'll begin to make bad decisions. You usually know what works best for you and your schedule, stick to it. There could be many suggestions online or even from friends and family but the ultimate decision lies in your hands and you do not need the approval of others. Make a good decision because you can, and remember the greatest reward is inner peace! Not comparing yourself is a key to having that much needed inner peace.

Be a positive role model

As simple as it may sound, this is vital. Kids are very observant. Try not to show signs of stress, anxiety of confusion. You do not need to show you have it all together all the time, but show progression and initiative to make each day effective.

Take time and observe what your child likes!

As much as we get sucked into the education system, soon they will enter the real world and to truly begin to make decisions on what they enjoy. So why not start now? Find out what is on their heart and what their skills are. The truth is, we can succeed in education but fail in life. What do I mean by that? We can get the best grades in our education, but lack the necessary skills and way of thinking that is necessary when building relationships and working with others. Not to mention, many people rely on their cv to find a job for income, but what will often generate the money they are looking for really lies in that skill or ability that they have despised for years or have deemed to be too small. Usually, that thing is something they can do naturally and genuinely enjoy - encourage them to develop that skill or ability and encourage them to dream.