Issues sequencing moms face when considering returning to work
Have you taken a career break to raise a child? In this article we explore some of the issues sequencing moms face when considering returning to work.
Mothers who choose to stay at home with their young children do so with the hopes that their presence benefits their little ones. Some of these mothers want to return to the workforce once their children are older to benefit the family in another manner. At times, it’s not that easy to get back in the swing of things.
What is a ‘sequencing mom’?
Before we look into the struggles a sequencing mom can face when considering a return to the workforce, it is important to explain what the term means.
A sequencing mom is someone who earns a college degree and starts their career, then chooses to take a break from working to raise a family, before resuming their career at a later date.
Child care costs can prevent moms from returning to work
Often, when working mothers become stay-at-home moms, it is due to the expenses associated with having to find someone to care for their children. The U.S. national average cost for full-time daycare is $611 a month. This can be almost $400 more a month in metropolitan areas across the nation.
It can be cheaper to remain home instead of paying for the services of a childcare provider. Additionally, the appeal of raising children from infancy to school age without the outside influence of a childcare provider is tempting, especially when it’s free.
Unfortunately, there are other concerns moms face besides finances and not being available full-time to teach their children the ways of their family values and culture. There are more issues a mom faces that may delay re-emerging into the workforce. Separation Anxiety, finding a balance between work and family life, and overcoming guilt are battles with which they contend.
How does separation anxiety play a part?
The bond between parent and child can make it difficult for either party to part ways even for a few hours, let alone a full work day after both have grown used to being together full time. Children not accustomed to being separated from their parents, who are placed in a new and unfamiliar setting, may find it overwhelming and have difficulty coping.
Parents may also experience separation anxiety as a result of not creating much distance between themselves and their children on a routine basis. Despite the discomfort, children do need to experience a parent’s temporary absence to promote a child’s healthy “maturation and development.”
The importance of finding the proper balance between home life and returning to work
Staying at home to care for the kids may make interacting with adults in the outside world seem like a far-off memory. Aside from conversing with other parents during play dates, adult time may be minimal and unfulfilling.
That doesn’t mean the desire to revisit an adult-centered life in an adult world has lost its luster. The desire to reconnect with other adults is extremely appealing. Although making new friends can be a challenge at any age.
The complexities of effectively balancing work and family life are sometimes what hinder a sequencing mom from returning to work outside the home. For this reason, some women prefer taking on part-time work or flexible hours to help maintain a work and family life balance. Often the goal is to return to work with little disruption to the system the family already has in place.
Some mothers feel guilty for choosing to return to work
Guilt may develop when a mother returns to the workforce. Not everyone can appreciate a woman taking the courageous step to actively participate in raising her children as a full-time job, centered on juggling life around her family.
That decision may not appear as respectable as finding appropriate child care and resuming life on the daily grind. Choosing to stay home instead of “cashing in” on established degrees doesn’t make a mother less of a woman, and may even be more challenging.
However, earning an income to help financially support the household is just as honorable as choosing to remain home. The key is determining what the best choice for the family faced with the decision is. The opinions of outsiders should not dictate a woman’s decision to remain home or return to work outside the home. When actions are based on the best interest of the family, guilt should be a nonissue.
After getting over the barriers of returning to work a mom can work well
When a mother is ready to re-enter the workforce, she will need to overcome some of the worries and barriers that accompany the decision. Getting past the separation anxiety, establishing a balance in work-life and home life, and believing she is benefiting her family by returning to work will be important steps she must work through.
The biggest challenge to overcoming these obstacles is that these changes are implemented in a manner in which returning to work doesn’t upset the family structure already set in place.
Once these issues are worked through, a sequencing mom will be able to perform in her position as well as any other employee. Equally, as significant, she will be able to continue to play her most important role at home.
Erica Gibson-Martin is a content writer at KingEssays, wife, and mother of two. She has devoted her life to the art of storytelling through her captivating written word and travels around the world to experience different cultures and stories first-hand.
