The Big Balancing Act
I’m very active on LinkedIn and I try to stay up to date on news articles. So I’m aware of articles about Mom’s trying to be all and have it all, or sometimes admitting that they are not supermom. There was one article that suggested that I ask my boss not to schedule me to be away on business travel for more than 24 hours.
I want to make it clear that I recognize how privileged I am. I have a job that I really enjoy, and there is some degree of flexibility for scheduling travel. If I feel like I’m away too much, I’m sometimes able to push trips back and have a couple of weeks at home. In addition, I have an extremely supportive husband who stays home with our son and takes care of the myriad household details (while managing his own small business). If my husband worked a traditional job it would be much more difficult for me to be gone as much as I am, so I owe a lot of my professional success to him.
But let’s be real. If I told my boss that I couldn’t do trips that were longer than 24 hours, he would laugh. He’s a great, supportive, family-oriented boss—but my job sometimes requires me to be gone for a week at a time and most trips are 2-3 nights. While I definitely factor in financial viability for travel, I personally don’t make additional salary for longer trips. And while there have been a few occasions that my son and husband have traveled with me, we quickly realized it was less disruptive for everyone if they stayed home.
Now that my son is two and a half, his growing awareness means he notices when Mommy is gone. He cries when I leave, and doesn’t understand why I have to go to work for so long. It breaks my heart. I know as our family grows travel will be even more difficult. At some point, it may not make sense for my family for me to be on the road all the time. Right now, we make it work, despite the challenges and heartache.
Honestly, I’m not totally sure what my point is. I am constantly balancing motherhood and business travel, and lots of the time (most of the time?) it feels like my balance is faltering. My solution thus far has been to try (when I’m able) to travel only two weeks per month. Then when I’m home, I’m home. I don’t check email after hours, and I spend as much time interacting, playing, and caring for my child as I can.
Is it the best solution? Who knows, but I’m doing the best I can.
My situation is not unique, nor is it the worst there is. It’s just one woman’s perspective on the struggle so many of us face.
Readers, how do you balance parenthood and business travel? Are you able to plan your own schedule? How do you cope with the heartache? Any suggestions?
