*Thank you to Taryn Scher for this guest post about the realities of traveling for work while balancing motherhood!
I love my kids. I have two girls, just under fifteen months apart, both under the age of four. You can imagine what most days look like…a mix of pure joy followed by a spontaneous outburst of toddler tantrums and completely opposite sleep schedules.
I also love my job. I work in PR, which constantly tops the list of most stressful careers. But I relish in the constant chaos of it all. At a moment’s notice, I can be on a work trip to New York to accompany one of my clients to the set of The Today Show, Fox & Friends or something else equally as amazing. I also travel the country, speaking to large organizations about how to do their own Media Relations.
Unfortunately, this spontaneous lifestyle isn’t quite as easy to navigate with two toddlers. There are lunches to pack, outfits to plan, childcare to arrange- and that’s all assuming childcare is available to come extra early and stay extra late while my husband is working.
This constant planning- preparing, and managing four different schedules will leave any mama exhausted, not to mention in need of a break. But after coming home from another work trip, exhausted and desperately seeking some quiet, my husband is ready for his own break, leaving no time for mama bear to turn off.
You see, the struggle lies in the fact that these “work trips” aren’t vacations. But tell that to my husband.
Every time I pack my suitcase for another work trip, which often means the very first flight out in the morning and the last flight out at night to minimize the total nights/mornings I’m away, I can feel the look. In his mind, I’m off to a tropical resort to sip Pina Coladas while someone is fanning me and feeding me grapes as I snooze uninterrupted for hours. While in reality, I’m about to run through the airport with superhuman speed, hoping to make my connection in time so I can make it home by midnight so that when the kids get up at 6am I am there.
I want a break. I am tired, exhausted really. My brain feels like it’s literally going to explode every second of every day. When I’m not working, I’m mommying- and don’t get me wrong, I LOVE being a mom, but some days I just want a few hours to myself.
But aren’t all those work trips a break?
Time to myself
Last year was a bigger birthday for me- and I finally asked for what I really wanted. Four full days alone. I know, it sounds selfish but it’s all I really wanted.
As I booked a trip to Hilton Head Health, my fingers were trembling with excitement and disbelief that this was actually going to happen. Every day for weeks leading up to the trip I would peel over the spa services menu, review the daily schedule of activity and decide which classes I wanted to try (TRX? Barre? Pilates? Yes please!)
I drooled over the dishes I’d learn to cook at the cooking classes.
I fantasized about sleeping as late as I wanted and taking long walks on the beach.
And in fact, the trip came and it was magical.
I kayaked, I did yoga on the beach, I slept late, I got a facial and a massage and by the time the four days were over I truly felt rejuvenated and refreshed.
It was the best gift I’ve ever received.
So now as another birthday looms immediately followed by one of the longest work trips I’ve taken since the girls were born (three and a half days), I laughed when the question was recently posed, what do you want for your birthday?
About The Author
Taryn Scher is the owner of TK PR and mom to two beautiful girls. In her spare time, she can be found on the beach searching for seashells and anything that sparkles.
