One thing I know to be true of every mom is this: we all want to do this motherhood thing well. But moms who work outside of the home (because all moms are “working moms” right?) have additional challenges to face as they try and ‘do well’ at two very different jobs. Working: some moms love it, some feel guilty about it, some work purely out of necessity, others work because they love what they do and they are better when they work. Whatever category you fall into, I believe it is hard. It’s hard to juggle the competing demands on your attention and your time. It’s hard to prioritize which job gets first dibs on your attention each day and which job has to wait its turn. It’s hard to do it all well all of the time. As we try to do so (and discover it is impossible), we end up making sacrifices. But moms, this is true of everyone, everywhere in the world! Whenever we make a decision, we are also making a sacrifice.

If you choose to take on the extra project at work, that may mean giving up the time you used to have to volunteer at your kids’ school, or cooking a few less nights each week. If you say no to the extra project, there’s a chance you won’t even be asked next time at work, or that you’ll be seen as someone who won’t “go the extra mile”. In this season of working and raising children, you are going to have to make sacrifices, so determine which things you are okay sacrificing and hold tight to your non-negotiables. Maybe this isn’t the season for ballet or soccer because you want to be able to go to church on Wednesday nights. Maybe church on Wednesday night is sacrificed for a season so that you can prioritize a night at home for dinner.

For your sanity and for your family, sacrifice is going to have to happen. Moms, we have to make peace with these sacrifices. It is a lie that we can have it all, all of the time. Something has to give and as a mom, you need to embrace where you are and bloom where you have been planted.