As much as couples get lost in the
euphoria of planning wedding and starting their lives together, most of them do
not address the main issues they ought to address. Most of the time, they
prefer taking each day as it comes. In truth, there is nothing wrong in living
like that and basking in the simplicity of life itself; however; it is better
to make hay while the sunshine. There are some issues that should be discussed
and treated before they start to generate issues.
Getting pregnant and
welcoming a child is always a special moment for couples; if it is their first,
then it is bound to make them feel emotional and change their lives at once.
Knowing how challenging it could be living in Nigeria and being comfortable,
intending couples might want to pay more attention to this and see how best to
merge their working lives with parenting when they start to have children.
Not everyone supports
the idea of having to be a stay home mum in order to raise kids; as much as
women love to take care of their growing babies and dedicate more time to them,
the economic situation may force them out and inspire them to look for ways to
support their budding families. Here i would be sharing tips on how to balance
on the two wings of life and see how best to survive the storm.
Find below some of the ways couples can balance
their work lives and parenting skills:
1. Have civilized discussion at the onset
It is essential for
young married couples who are working to sit down and have a civilized
discussion on how they intend to combine working with parenting. The two
aspects are important entities and they have to treat them as such. Couples
should not assume the woman has to leave her job and be relegated to wifely
duties. There should be a mutual consent between couples who want to raise kids
and work at the same time.
2. Lay plans on how to raise the kids
Due to the working
conditions that most companies subject their workers to in Nigeria, it would be
essential for working couples to make adequate plans for their children as soon
as they start to have them. So what is it going to be? Will there be nannies or
you would rather put them with your parents? Working couples should agree in
cases where they are both busy and no one is ready to quit his or her job.
3.
There should be
limits and boundaries
Despite being working
couples, there should be set limits on things to do and not to do with the children.
As much as you both cannot afford to quit your jobs and raise the kids, you have
to make out time to be there for them and celebrate important events in their
lives.
Who would be attending
the PTA meetings and who would be there on graduation ceremonies? Birthdays are
beautiful moments for the kids and you may not want to miss out on that despite
being busy. You do not want your kids to despise you and the efforts you make
in pulling the family together.
4. A change in working arrangement would help
We understand that it
is not quite easy running the home and a business; a little change in the
working arrangement may also help you keep your job and make your kids happy
too. If your job requires you to move around, you may ask to be placed in a
region which is close to where you live or where your kids are in order to be
able to monitor them. You may call in for favours and swap with your colleagues
that are covering that region.
5. Make the best of your weekends
Working and parenting
are definitely not easy; however, people find a way to balance the two. Since
you know weekdays are hectic, you can invest in your weekends. Make it a fun
time for your family and do the best you can do within that time. This is the
best way to make up for the lost time and catch up on all the things you did
not have time to treat during the week.
6. Employ helping hands that can help you with chores
Children are usually a
handful; you may be overwhelmed with the thought of having to take care of
them, go to the office and clean up the house also. You also have your spouse
to think of as you always have to play the role of a friend, lover, companion
and life partner too. If you are edgy about having maids who would live with
you in the house, you can employ people that would come into the house once in
a while to help with the cleaning of the house.
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