Mothers on the night shift: balancing it right

Being a working mother can be  tough, however, working the graveyard shift is a whole new ball game. For mothers who work the night shift, balancing their family life and work life can be more challenging because of the difference in schedules! Imagine being at work when the family is asleep and then being home when the family is busy with their own activities.

The only way to work around this lag is by establishing a fine balance. This is not easy, but here are some mothers who have got it right.

A nurse in a private hospital in Kolkata, Debolina Basu, says finding time for the family is not a piece of cake. She admits, “I would have quit my job long ago, had it not been for my tremendous organizational skills. I plan my week ahead and try to finish as many chores as possible during the weekend. In fact, I also make prepped meals-to-go during the weekdays. I drop and pick up my daughter from school; that’s when I catch up with her school activities, talk to the teacher, etc. Also, I sleep only for 4 hours during the day, the rest of the sleep I catch up on my commute on the staff bus.”

Jahnavee Iyer, a Customer Care Manager working at a reputed BPO in Mumbai says, instead of hitting the bed immediately upon returning from work in the morning, she makes her children ready for school and rustles up breakfast which all the family members then have together. That is the time when her children are at their perky best, and she loves interacting with them. She catches up with her husband over a cup of tea once the kids leave for school. Also, she makes sure her kids’ homework is up-to-date before she leaves for work and sees their workbooks during the weekends.

A ground crew member at an international airport, Neena Sah, feels extremely lucky; because of her night shift, she hasn’t missed out on any of her baby’s milestones. As her husband works from home, he doesn’t mind dropping her or picking her up in the car, and she gets that extra time with her now 13-month old toddler.

We even asked a Front Desk Executive, at a popular luxury hotel in Goa, the reason she could take up the night shift. Lalitha Prabhu said, “It’s all because of my wonderful mother-in-law. She not only helps me with the household chores, but also looks after my kids and even sends them to school if I am late reaching home in the morning.”

For some, it’s the communication that keeps them going, and for some it’s their forward planning, while some give credit to their family for their support; it proves one thing - finding the perfect balance between life and work is certainly achievable.

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