By: Ahne Gatapia
Being a mom is already challenging and entails a lot of responsibilities, but being a working mom during a pandemic made it even harder. With the increase in family and childcare responsibilities and loss of economic security, many mothers experienced high levels of physical burnout and mental fatigue.
And I was no different.
My life as a mama with my two beautiful kids (age three years old and four months) while being a full-time working mom at home requires a big adjustment. The distractions were quite overwhelming. Attending to work duties, taking care of the family’s needs, and managing house chores are just a few of the day-to-day activities that I have to juggle. After two years of being in a health crisis, I would say that it was a great learning experience that allowed me to become more understanding and grateful of my role.
A few things that helped me survive this crisis were maintaining a balanced work and personal life, establishing a solid support system, and prioritizing self-care. When working from home became a new norm, the line that separates work from personal life becomes blurry, and for mothers, it’s important to redefine this. Creating a structured but flexible schedule, organizing activities, planning, and simplifying tasks are some of the ways I adopted to ensure that I deliver quality output to my work and, at the same time, be present to my family.
Further, having a strong support system that understands and is entirely on board made things a lot easier. Accepting that you can’t do everything or do everything perfectly would help lighten the burden. It’s essential to make everyone in the house involved and active; it’s already 2022, and mothers are more than just doing all the housework.
Lastly, always remember that “YOU” matter. Prioritizing a relaxation or self-care activity as you are able—taking care of yourself will help you function best in your roles. It need not be expensive. Walking with my kids in the park or enjoying my bath is my favorite relaxation time of the day.
Although we already see the light at the end of the tunnel, many things are still uncertain. As a mom and an educator, I’m excited yet anxious about what the future will hold, especially for my kids. I’m looking forward to the return of face-to-face classes, but this time with an education system that is more flexible and innovative in its strategies and methodologies. As a mom, I would like to be enlightened on these changes to make myself equipped to support my kids in this new setup.
Whatever role you play in this society, I believe that this pandemic has allowed us to make incredible life realizations. And for moms like me, we only proved that once again, we are amazingly strong and empowered and that no pandemic will defeat our dedication and love for our family.
I hope I am not too late in greeting all powerful mamas a Happy Mothers Day! One day is not enough to celebrate the love and hard work of mothers. Here in Xepto Education, we are honoring mothers all month long!
About the author
Ahne is a licensed professional teacher and is currently the courseware development manager of Xepto Digital Computing Inc. Prior to Xepto, she was the program manager of Asian Institute of Management – MSc. in Data Science. She also led the content and curriculum development of the Affordable Private Education Center under the Ayala Corporation. She had taught primary and middle level both local and international schools and she had obtained her Master’s Degree at De La Salle University.
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