In some countries, such as Canada, maternity leave includes up to 18 months of paid time off for new moms.

Unfortunately, in other countries, that period of time is much shorter.

Yet no matter how long a new mom has to recuperate and care for her baby, at some point most moms need to go back to work.

This isn’t necessarily a terrible thing. Many moms look forward to getting back to work, being productive, and having some time away from their child.

But this all comes with something most moms experience:

Working Mom Guilt.

Women who return to work after having a baby feel bad about spending so much time away from their little one. They feel this pull between working and making money and being a good parent.

They feel tired at the end of the day and guilty that they don’t have as much energy as they would like to interact with the kids.

The truth is, we all feel that guilt as working moms – but there are ways to alleviate that feeling. You don’t have to live with mom guilt just because it’s “normal.”

What Exactly is Working Mom Guilt?

Working mom guilt is the feeling of guilt associated with being at work instead of with your little one. You feel bad for directing so much energy to other people and tasks and not your child.

You may also feel guilty that someone else has to care for your kid because you have to work.

This type of guilt can become particularly intense when something happens in which work takes precedence over your child, such as when you need to leave a crying child at daycare or if a work trip keeps you away from your little one’s school recital.

It’s tough because most moms have no choice but to work. Either you and your partner need to both work in order to pay the bills or you’re a single mom that relies solely on one income.

It would be lovely if we could all quit our jobs and become stay-at-home moms in order to focus more of our time on our children. Unfortunately, many of us absolutely cannot.

Be rest assured that working mom guilt is a totally common phenomenon and felt by many, many women and single moms all over the world.

But that doesn’t mean you have to accept it as a common feeling. There are ways you can work through your mom guilt and become more at ease with balancing work-life with your single mom-life.

Here are some things to remember in order to overcome working mom guilt:

How to Overcome Working Mom Guilt

1. Your Child Doesn’t Need You 24/7

Children need space away from you in order to develop independence – even if they are with other adults.

Because they rely so heavily on your for validation, having time away from you means that they can form their own thoughts and feelings without looking to you for affirmation.

This way they can make mistakes and learn from them without the paranoia of disappointing you. This helps your little ones develop a strong sense of self-esteem.

2. You’re Allowed to Enjoy Your Job

It’s okay to treat work as an escape from family life. You’re allowed to look forward to social interaction with other adults and enjoy the passion you have for your job.

It’s so important to feel fulfilled and you shouldn’t feel bad for finding joy there.

You’re not prioritizing yourself over your child. You’re simply finding a balance between loving your child and loving yourself – and there’s nothing wrong with doing that!

3. You Need to Ignore the Nay-Sayers

People, especially other mothers, will try to make you feel guilty for being a working mom or rub in how awesome it is that they don’t have to work and get to stay home with their kids.

For one thing, it doesn’t matter what other mothers do or say. You should never let other people make you feel like you’re failing as a mother.

Oftentimes these “perfect” moms create mom pressure and throw the stories of their perfect lives at you and the internet to justify their own actions and conceal their own guilt and doubts.

Chances are, these are not single moms, and they have no real understanding of what it’s like to have to work to support your child.

Avoid the negativity and don’t always feel that you need to justify your needs and choices.

4. There is Still Plenty of Time for Your Kiddos

You may feel like the majority of your time is spent at work, but there is still lots of time to connect and bond with your little ones. You just need to find a routine that works for you.

Take full advantage of your days off by being present with your child. Put down your phone and engage with them.

Don’t stress about planning uber-exciting activities for them either – low-key activities are just as meaningful and memorable to your child.

5. You Can Always Reevaluate Your Situation

If you’re not happy at your job or cannot handle the hours you have to work, you can always make a change.

It may be a scary thought to switch careers or reduce your hours, especially when you’re a single mom and the only breadwinner, but sometimes taking a risk and trying something new can make a huge impact on your life.

You can even consider working from home so that you can spend more time with your kiddos while still earning money. Check out this post on how to start a blog that you can monetize and earn money from!

Of course, if you love your job, refer back to point #2.

6. Be Okay With Not Being Perfect

Somewhere in the evolution of the human race, it was decided that moms had to do everything perfectly.

Pinterest and Instagram certainly have not helped this notion and now moms feel pressured to do it all – work, take care of their kids, take care of their home, dress perfectly, throw spectacular birthday parties, cook envy-worthy meals, etc.

The truth is, no one is perfect – not even those moms you see on Instagram.

The more you try to chase down perfection, the more you will feel disappointed. This disappointment will lead to guilt because you will blame yourself for not doing “enough”.

How much is enough? There’s no way to tell. As a working mom, focus on being “good enough”.

That means you go to bed knowing that you did your job and took care of your kids. Everyone is still alive at the end of the day. Count that as a win.

Never Feel Bad For Doing What You Have To Do

Being a single mom is all about making sacrifices, on your part and for your child, in order to ensure that everyone’s life is happy and balanced.

Sometimes when I put my daughter to bed, I look at her beautiful face and think about how happy she is, how happy I am and how we have everything we need to have an amazing life.

That’s because I work and I don’t feel bad about doing it.

Ever felt working mom guilt? How did you handle it? Let us know in the comments below!