• Skip to content
• Main
• En Español
• For CCR&Rs
• Contact Us
• Site Map

• Home
• Child Care 101
  • 5 Steps To Choosing Care
  • Types of Care
  • Choosing Child Care
  • If You Can't Find Care
  • Evaluating Providers
• Parent Information
  • About Child Care Resource & Referral
  • Licensing
  • Accreditation
  • Child Care Aware and NACCRRA
• Helpful Tools
  • Glossary
  • Child Care Options Calculator
  • National Organizations
  • Stay at Home or Return to Work Tool
  • Child Care Finder
  • Watch High-Quality Child Care Videos
• Resources
  • Publications
  • Fatherhood
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Preparing For Disaster: The Parent View
  • Additional Resources
• Newsletters
  • Are You Aware?
  • Daily Parent
  • Manage My Subscriptions
• Parent Network

Home » Subscriptions » Are You Aware? » All Articles » Work and Family Balance

Child Care Connector

Advanced Search

Print page   Send a link

Bookmark & Share

Subscribe

• RSS
• Email
• All Child Care Aware feeds
• Learn more about RSS

Disclaimer

The National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) and Child Care Aware do not endorse nor are we responsible for the information or materials posted on any of the resource’s websites.

Work and Family Balance

October 22, 2007

If you are a working parent, you may find yourself struggling with the many hats you wear. Balance is experienced differently by everyone and can be identified by some or all of the following feelings:

• You have enough time for family and work
• Life "flows" and feels relatively effortless
• When something in your life breaks down (baby sitter gets sick, the car breaks) you have the resources to cope
• You are on the path you want to be personally and professionally for the future

Balance has some characteristics:

• It is not a constant, it comes and goes as things change in life
• It has to be worked at
• The process of seeking balance can be stimulating and a true learning experience about what is important to you

How do you get balance?

There are many components to finding balance, many that you know consciously and unconsciously. Here are my "top ten" components to finding balance. Add your own and put this list in the back of your mind to help guide you in this difficult process.

1. Recognize that balancing roles as parent and business person is truly work in itself, it requires appreciation of your work (a pat on the back)
2. Take time to think about balance and how to get it this week
3. Apply your best analytical and creative thinking to problem-solve this task
4. Remember yourself, your needs, your wants, your happiness - this is the ultimate barometer of balance
5. Have faith there is a way - don’t put barriers in front of possibilities, you can make it work
6. Flexibility is important - what works this week may be out of whack next week - stay open to new solutions
7. Know the signs of imbalance, including resentment, fatigue, overwhelm, depression, unhappy family members, dissatisfaction with work
8. Revisit your core values and live them, know what is most important to you today
9. Remove, delegate the things that interfere with the important stuff
10. Find the joy in the process

Reprinted with permission of author Sandi Epstein, a professional life coach who focuses primarily on helping individuals find balance between work and family life.

« Previous | All Articles | Next »