Work. Parent. Repeat.

Can you do it all and maintain sanity? Here are five essential strategies for working parents, now that we’re mostly going back to the office.

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Combining a career and parenting is not always easy. Most working moms (and many dads) will tell you that when they’re at work, they long to be at home with their child, and when they’re at home they’re stressing about stuff they need to sort out for work. But it isn’t impossible to combine work and parenting – and remain sane.

Well-known Australian author and speaker on the topic of parenting, Michael Grose, says there are five essential strategies parents can follow to help them maintain a relationship with their children when work demands take over their lives. Michael says that it’s not unusual for one or both parents to work up to 15 hours a day at times. Modern workplaces are no longer “nine to five” domains, certainly not ever since the coming of Covid-19. The demands of modern workplaces lurch from busy to insanely busy, depending on the industry and the time of year. So if you’re a working parent, what can you do in stressful times like these to maintain a relationship with your children?

EXPERT MICHAEL GROSE’S

5 WORKING & PARENTING STRATEGIES

1 COMMUNICATE

If your children are school-aged, keep them in the loop about your work responsibilities. Keep them up to date about the demands of your work, and let them know that you will be busy for a while but it won’t be permanent. However, it’s harder with a younger child. Sally Boom, mother to Sam (2), a freelance writer and film critic from Cape Town, has experienced work pressure at its greatest.