With young adults becoming more career focused, we are seeing a declining birth rate and women holding off having children until they are more mature. One can expect that not just women, but parents in general will have to learn how to balance the delicate nurturing of a child along with the time-consuming grind of growing a successful career.

Leave work at work

Boundaries are important when it comes to balance. When you’re enjoying a movie with your child, you cannot be writing emails to your boss. It can sometimes be difficult to stop work from bleeding over to your personal life, especially when there are projects and deadlines. However, you have to remember that your child’s development is also a project where you’re the project manager. It may also be hard to tell, but that project has deadlines as well. If you do not fulfill your quota of giving your child love and attention, it can have detrimental effects in the future.

Help your child get used to being without you

As an infant, many of us have had the experience of throwing tantrums whenever our parents had to leave for work. This is especially true for mothers that are transitioning back to work from maternity leave. Your infant has seen you every day for almost a year and is about to take a scary step as their source of familiarity will be gone for half the day. Thus, embedding independence at a young age is vital, and can be something as simple as playing hide and seek, as that can give your child a chance to act without you.

Plan in advance

As a working parent, your schedule can change quickly. Adapting to these changes is important but you can remove a lot of ambiguity by planning in advance. Using organized calendars and planners are crucial. Having contingency plans will also ensure you are ready for anything. With the internet nowadays, you have access to many services that can help you navigate such a difficult time. Tools such as Kinderdrop can give you a contingency plan to last minute childcare.

Remember, this is a learning process. You’re going to make a lot of mistakes and balancing two major responsibilities is not easy. However, support is all around you. Everyone’s is on the same journey so letting your boss know that you have to tend to your child’s needs will usually be met with support.