When you’re conceiving a baby, you’re rarely thinking about paid maternity leave, childcare costs, how much time you’d get off when your kids get sick and all the big and little things that happen after you bring home a bundle of joy.
Thank goodness, because the recently released list of the worst states for working moms is certainly a romance killer. The wisest thing to do is to be aware of what to expect months and even years before we’re expecting. But being wise and practical are two different things.
Just as some jobs are more mama-friendly than others, so are some parts of the country. A lot of times we don’t know where we’ll end up. When you work in radio like I do, it’s not uncommon to have lived in 15 different markets through the span of your career. So far, I’ve been lucky. My two sons were born in Illinois and got their elementary and early middle school education in Texas.
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Thankfully, neither of those states is on the list of the “Worst States to Be a Working Mom” put out by the National Partnership of Women and Families.
Worst States To be a Working Mom:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Kansas
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Utah
- Wyoming
But even if the state I’m raising kids in was on the list, like every good mom out there, I’d have to find a way to make it work for me and my family. Here are five practices I suggest you implement no matter where you live:
1. Find a support system. Whether it’s family, church members or co-workers, befriend women you can trust who are willing to help you drop-off, pick-up, pray with you or for you, stand with you when you’re right and calm you down when you’re wrong.
2. Get involved. It can be expensive, but make sure your kids are active in sports, scouting or something that will keep them active and allow them and you to get out of your comfort zone.
3. Be an advocate. Just because your job or state has jacked-up rules and laws doesn’t mean they can’t change. Be sure to voice your opinion at the proper times and vote in political elections.
4. Be active at school: Everyone from the classroom mom to the principal should see you on campus regularly and not just when you have a complaint. Volunteer in the classroom, attend PTA meetings and every parent/teacher conference. When you cooperate with the teachers and administrators they’re much more likely to cut you and your kids some slack when you need them to.
5. Become an entrepreneur: That doesn’t necessarily mean quitting your job. It means discovering your passion, developing your skills and distinguishing yourself with a product or service that can sustain you if your regular gig goes sideways. There’s no perfect state for working moms but there are ways to perfect the state of our mind, body and spirit. When we do better so do our kids…and that’s job one.
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