Drop the Mom Guilt: Why Daycare Can Empower Career Moms and Their Kids

Mom Guilt SUCKS! It’s one of the biggest obstacles to achieving authentic happiness as a Career Mom. Feeling all the Mom Guilt feels over daycare? Here are some tips to ditch that drama, so you can start loving the leverage that is Daycare!

1. SHIFT YOUR MINDSET
Start here: what are you doing when the kiddos are at daycare? Are you doing meaningful work that lights you up? The #1 reason negativity crops up over daycare is that you don’t feel the time-trade you’re making is a good one.

Remember, you’re doing this FOR your kids, not TO them! Daycare is meant to be fun and social, like swimming lessons or t-ball. Kids have hard days everywhere, even FUN places!

Last – STRESS KILLS! Literally. You need to figure out what’s causing these feelings around daycare, because it will eventually cause dis-ease in your body, until resolved. Start taking action to remove this major mental block NOW; putting it off or pretending it's not there gets you nowhere.

2. DAYCARE TROLLS
Don’t take advice from the wrong people. Does the woman speaking negatively about daycare--in general, or your particular daycare arrangement--have a life you’d want? Would you trade her places? If not: “Thanks for your concern.” The end.

Anyone who has a holier than thou attitude when it comes to daycare (i.e. “I’m not letting someone else raise my kids!”) is projecting their own insecurity. They’re seeking to validate their choices at your expense. Their opinion has NO PLACE in your mind, heart, or LIFE. The END!

3. MAX OUT NON-DAYCARE TIME!
Get to know your kid’s teachers and call them by name. Talk about them like any other member of your family/tribe. Get feedback on what your kiddo has learned/done each day, and continue the conversation at home.

Attend the special parties (they’re more important than you think). When you can’t, replace it! Pick a day that DOES work in your schedule and make a BIG show of picking them up early and taking them somewhere special. Your own Valentines/Christmas/etc party!

Special Treat Day! Once week, stop for a treat (doughnut, smoothie, bagel, etc) before or after drop-off/pickup. Dovetailing it with the drop-off / pickup makes it part of the daycare routine, making the feel of daycare a bit more special. The frequency, once/week, makes it something to continually look forward to.

Bottom line: persistently feeling guilty about daycare is a choice. Authentic happiness in your Career Mom life will always remain just out of reach for as long as you allow the guilt to fester, unacknowledged. Once you've done the research and selected the best facility or arrangement for your family, your next steps are to live and love the life you've set up! It's not easy, but it is simple.

Let me know: where are you getting tripped up? How can I help you break through this block?