Working Moms: How to Guarantee That a Life Never Takes a Backseat to Your Husband’s
Vickie Milazzo
May 16, 2006
The reality today is that even as women are building incredible careers they’re still battling the stereotypical roles of traditional wife and mother. When you walk in the door after a long day of work, do you grab the remote while your husband makes dinner, watches the kids or cleans the house? No, it’s usually the opposite. But why then as a successful career woman do you allow this imbalance in the home when you would never stand for it in the workplace?
At home, women are exhausted by the battle of repeatedly asking and reminding their husbands to pitch in. Rather than rock the boat, for some women it’s easier to do it themselves, but that’s a trap. It leads to generations of exhausted women running businesses and households while men reap the rewards of extra leisure time and career advancement.
Using these 3 strategies will guarantee that a woman’s life will never again take a backseat to her husband:
1. Draw him in. Sit down, hide the remote and tell your husband how much you appreciate him. Then explain you’re feeling overloaded. Just show him the long pre-prepared list of all your responsibilities. Then, together decide on joint responsibilities and all the ways they could be handled—dinnertime: cook, eat out, eat TV dinners, etc. Invite your husband to offer his own solutions. Be open to his ideas (no matter how impractical they are).
2. Delegate, delegate, delegate. If you want a career and a happy family life, you’re going to have to learn to delegate. You need to let your family know: “I cannot handle all the laundry, all the housework and all the carpools.” Your husband and children will have to chip in and help. Start with small things and slowly increase their responsibilities. Make sure to offer encouragement along the way but train them exactly the way you want it done. For small errands and housework it may be worth hiring help for the precious time it saves you.
3. Realize the power and freedom of NO. There are only 24 hours in a day and if you want more time to yourself, whether it be at work, at home or for leisure activities, you have to realize the power of saying NO to everybody else’s expectations. It takes practice, but learn to say NO to every other cause that comes along that distracts you from your career or personal goals. The YES is for your priorities and puts you in the driver’s seat of your own destiny.
At home, women are exhausted by the battle of repeatedly asking and reminding their husbands to pitch in. Rather than rock the boat, for some women it’s easier to do it themselves, but that’s a trap. It leads to generations of exhausted women running businesses and households while men reap the rewards of extra leisure time and career advancement.
Using these 3 strategies will guarantee that a woman’s life will never again take a backseat to her husband:
1. Draw him in. Sit down, hide the remote and tell your husband how much you appreciate him. Then explain you’re feeling overloaded. Just show him the long pre-prepared list of all your responsibilities. Then, together decide on joint responsibilities and all the ways they could be handled—dinnertime: cook, eat out, eat TV dinners, etc. Invite your husband to offer his own solutions. Be open to his ideas (no matter how impractical they are).
2. Delegate, delegate, delegate. If you want a career and a happy family life, you’re going to have to learn to delegate. You need to let your family know: “I cannot handle all the laundry, all the housework and all the carpools.” Your husband and children will have to chip in and help. Start with small things and slowly increase their responsibilities. Make sure to offer encouragement along the way but train them exactly the way you want it done. For small errands and housework it may be worth hiring help for the precious time it saves you.
3. Realize the power and freedom of NO. There are only 24 hours in a day and if you want more time to yourself, whether it be at work, at home or for leisure activities, you have to realize the power of saying NO to everybody else’s expectations. It takes practice, but learn to say NO to every other cause that comes along that distracts you from your career or personal goals. The YES is for your priorities and puts you in the driver’s seat of your own destiny.
Print
Email
