It’s common knowledge that motherhood is exhausting – adding a regular job on top of that just compounds the stress. Your little one’s warm smile might be able to ease your fraying nerves from time to time, but sometimes people just need their struggles validated. We’ve compiled a shortlist of encouraging working mom quotes to help keep your spirits up in these tough times.
Motherhood is extremely taxing, and that only gets harder to manage when work comes into play. It’s a battle of endurance and morale juggling these two. You need the strength to handle the weight of it even when the going gets tough along with the proper motivation to carry on like that – of which family has no substitute.
That’s why we’ve kitted this list out to meet both of those needs head-on. If any of the working mom quotes we’ve found manage to lighten your load, even if only a little, we’ll count that as an absolute win.
Encouraging Working Mom Quotes
Motherhood and work ask so much of you, and it can seem nigh-impossible to meet both with just 2 hands and 24 hours. You’ll be struggling there on occasion, budgeting limited time between work and children. Some mothers even note feeling frustrated guilt from having to do this.
Just know that you aren’t alone, that it’s not impossible, and you’re worthy of the utmost respect for trying. You’ll find the right balance in time, and until then just take comfort where you can.
1. “Successful mothers are not the ones that have never struggled. They are the ones that never give up, despite the struggles.” – Sharon Jaynes.
2. “As a working mother, I know that women can be both professionally ambitious and deeply committed to their families.” – Tory Burch.
Being successful in both your career and caretaking isn’t impossible. It’s more intimidating than anything else. Tacking a career onto that makes it challenging, but motherhood is all about pushing past limits you never even knew existed.
There’s no need to monopolize your commitment to any one thing. A good worker can be a great mother and vice versa. No need to hamstring yourself on such binary choices, and we promise that you’ll be more than up for both tasks once the initial shock passes.
3. “I love being on teams with working mothers. They are the highest functioning messes I know.” – Maricar Santos.
It takes a village to raise a child, and it could be argued that a mother is a community in herself. They’re overworked, underpaid, and still ludicrously competent in handling new tasks as needed.
An overwhelmed mother’s capability is defined only by what needs to be done – she’ll find a way regardless. Adopting that attitude to your career is the secret behind thriving working mothers. Recognizing that is a great way to start valuing yourself.
4. “Working mothers’ laughter comes hardest when our double life is revealed for what it is: a juggling act in which the balls can drop at any time, invariably on our own head.” – Allison Pearson.
Mistakes are rarely the end of the world, and issues of that caliber are usually brought to your attention first (for career work) or plainly obvious (for motherhood). Mindset makes all the difference here, and getting something wrong should be taken as a learning experience rather than a sign of incompetence.
It’s a juggling act, yes, but there won’t be a crowd waiting to boo you off stage. Fumbling from time to time will happen in life, and picking up where you left off is just part of the process. Some mistakes are worth a good laugh, so be sure to enjoy those moments as they crop up. You’ll be looking on them just as fondly down the line.
5. “No mom can do it all on her own. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness! When you need help, ask for it! When you are asked for help, give it – and offer it, too. In asking for help we can get past these too-hard-on-ourselves moments and instead build community with family, friends, and neighbors. Help – given and received – can help you achieve that acceptance of non-perfection – and the outcome may be even better than your initial vision of ‘perfect.” – Jen Klein.
Motherhood might feel like a solitary experience, but there are billions of others in the world going through the struggle. Check out any forums or community groups on motherhood if you’re ever feeling a bit lost on what to do – others have been through what you’re dealing with, and they’d want nothing more for you than to succeed.
The same goes for people around you. Family, friends, neighbors, and even other kids could ease your burden. They won’t understand motherhood as you do, but they’ll make up for that in care. Just let them lend you a hand, and don’t be afraid to ask for assistance. Your kid wants a mom that’s happy and healthy, so take care of yourself as much as you take care of them.
6. “If I’m pursuing my goals, my kids are seeing me at my best. I am filled up, I am happy, I am not feeling empty, depleted, and therefore resentful about the fact that I’m missing out. I don’t want them to feel like I’ve sacrificed, I don’t want them to feel that burden. And I always remember that a happy working woman is a happy mother.” – Shonda Rhimes.
7. “If you think taking care of yourself is selfish, change your mind. If you don’t, you’re simply ducking your responsibilities.” – Ann Richards.
Your well-being is just as important as your child’s. Who else could mother them?
Mothers are people too, so spare yourself some much-needed kindness. Pushing yourself past the breaking point will leave you miserable AND unable to care for anyone. There’s nothing selfish about maintenance. Please take responsibility on that front – for everyone’s sake!
8. “Trying to do it all and expecting that it all can be done exactly right is a recipe for disappointment. Perfection is the enemy.” – Sheryl Sandberg.
In motherhood, there is no such thing as perfection – only success. Don’t strive for an exhausting impossibility. Sometimes your best will be an improvised, panicked mess, but that’s not failure – that’s life. Do your best and take pride in that, no matter how circumstances might play out.
9. “The women whom I love and admire for their strength and grace did not get that way because shit worked out. They got that way because shit went wrong, and they handled it. They handled it in a thousand different ways on a thousand different days, but they handled it. Those women are my superheroes.” – Elizabeth Gilbert.
10. “When I first became a mother, I suffered from serious ‘half-ass’ shame. I felt like I was mediocre at everything. I felt so stretched and so distracted (and exhausted). I said ‘Yes’ way too often in an effort to prove that I could do it all. I’ve worked so hard over the past decade to move from “What will people think” to ‘I am enough.” – Brene Brown.
Being a working mom is quite the endeavor – there’s nothing half-assed about it! What others think won’t help you earn more, enjoy your work better, or improve how you care for your kids. It can be hard to break away from that mindset, but working towards doing that is nothing short of liberating for anxious mothers.
11. “I stand, sit, and smile for my children’s memorable moment, which is in practice every moment. It’s exhausting but satisfying, like running a dozen kilometers on the treadmill – just cranked up to a thousand. And I haven’t slept in weeks.” – Unknown.
12. “If you want me to do the job, you’ve got to pay me to do the job and you’ve got to give me flexibility, and flexibility means that I will work my tail off for you, but you better pay me and value my family.” – Michelle Obama.
Don’t ever forget what you’re working towards – even the former first lady knows the value in that! If your job demands too much or begins to compromise your household situation more than you’re prepared to permit, feel free to consider leaving. You can get another job, but the kids you raise won’t ever stop looking to you for guidance, comfort, and company.
Remember that being a working mom is already impressive. You do more with less and occasionally dip into achieving the impossible.
Know your value, and don’t waste your time and competence with businesses that refuse to acknowledge your worth. Negotiate for what you deserve and never settle for less.
13. “There’s something really empowering about going, ‘Hell, I can do this! I can do this all!’ That’s the wonderful thing about mothers, you can because you must, and you just do.” – Kate Winslet.
14. “You are not a bad mom because you go to work each day. Similarly, you are not a failure because you left your career altogether. Choices regarding work and family are personal. There is no one-size-fits-all method. Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong.” – Candace Alnaji.
Motherhood takes shape in many forms, and there is no right choice. It might help to look at examples set by others, but finding what suits you best will need more than just observation. Some mothers do away with careers entirely, while others focus on the breadwinning aspect – though that won’t make them any less of a caregiver.
Make whatever choice suits you best, but do remember that there won’t ever be one that renders you a failure. If you need to change your choice moving forward, that’s perfectly fine too.
15. “The balancing act of motherhood and a career, and being a wife, is something that I don’t think I’ll ever perfect, but I love the challenge of it.” – Kerri Walsh Jennings.
Final Thoughts
Motherhood is one of the most rewarding commitments to see through, but it’s very daunting when coupled with other demands. A few encouraging quotes from other working moms could help remind you that you aren’t alone in this ordeal. You might even find some strength, relief, and even company in their reassuring words, so please allow yourself to take some comfort here.
