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Let Go of Working-Mom Guilt

by Sheryl G. Ziegler

Quick Takes

  • Identify your values and priorities
  • Ask for help, even if you feel vulnerable
  • Redefine what you “should” be
  • Stop comparing yourself to others

You wonder how some working mothers seem to be able to do it all—easily—while you struggle under the weight of work-life balance stress. You feel time running out to achieve your career aspirations while your kids are growing up so quickly. No matter where you are, you feel as if you should be elsewhere, getting something productive done. Secretly, you dream of a weekend away but come up with excuses about why you can’t do it.

In her book Forget Having It All, author and journalist Amy Westervelt sums up the working-mom dilemma: “We expect ...

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