August 2026
Working Parents: Work-Life Balance Isn’t Perfect and That’s Okay
By Athena Krantz
I remember the first time she said it. “No phone, Mumma.”
She was two years old. To anyone else, it probably sounded like toddler gibberish. But, I knew exactly what she meant. She wanted my attention. The problem was that I was in the middle of an after-hours work emergency. I just needed to send one quick email…
Over the years, those words evolved into, “Moooom, get off the phone,” and eventually into something that somehow hurts even more: the quiet understanding that now isn’t a good time to interrupt. She’s almost eight now, and that little punch of guilt hasn’t gotten any easier. What has gotten easier is how we manage it together.
Parenting is hard, regardless of what your situation looks like. We all do the best we can with the resources we have in the moment. Sometimes it’s joyful, sometimes it’s heartbreaking, but it’s always challenging in its own unique way.
As working parents, we’re constantly pulled in multiple directions. Work wants 100% of us. Our children deserve 100% of us. Our partners, our homes, our friends, and somehow even ourselves all need a piece, too. It’s exhausting. Some days it feels impossible. But somehow, we keep showing up.
There are seasons where work is demanding, and seasons when family needs more. There are seasons where everything seems to happen at once. Some days- or weeks, years- are simply hard. But, human beings are remarkably resilient. We adapt. We learn. We find new rhythms, even if they aren’t perfect.
Something that helps keep my own struggles in perspective is remembering that while stress is very real, so are the comforts that make our lives easier. I have grocery stores, antibiotics, and indoor plumbing. My life could absolutely be harder. Remembering that makes sitting through the fourth t-ball game of the week feel a little lighter.
Like most people, I work because I need to. I have neither the skill nor taste preferences to hunt and gather my own food. I certainly do not know how to build a house or make my own clothes, and I have no desire to live anywhere without air conditioning. So, to fulfill my dream of picking up pizza on the way home from a long day and watching my shows on TV for the rest of my life, I simply must have an income. So, I found a job I genuinely enjoy at Mainstay, an organization whose mission I believe in, and I started building my career.
At the same time, my family grew. When my oldest daughter was a baby, I worked long hours while finishing graduate school (big props to Mainstay for their tuition reimbursement program and assisting in my internship). I suddenly had this tiny human who depended on me completely while also trying to establish myself professionally. Thankfully, I had an incredible support system. I know not everyone has that, and I don’t take it for granted.
Very early on, I realized something: work-life balance wasn’t going to happen by accident. If I wanted to be successful at work and present at home, I needed to be intentional about protecting both. There wasn’t a class that taught me how to do that. There was simply a lot of trial and error.
These are some of the lessons that have helped me the most. They aren’t universal rules, but they’ve helped me create a life that feels more sustainable.
1. Be Intentional With Your Time
Balance isn’t about splitting every day exactly down the middle. It’s about making deliberate choices with the time you have. Sometimes I only have five uninterrupted minutes with my kids before something pulls me away again. Those five minutes deserve my full attention. Put the phone down. Make eye contact. Read one book. Ask one good question. Five intentional minutes are worth far more than thirty distracted ones.
2. “You Can’t Pour From An Empty Cup”
You cannot continuously give your best to your children, your coworkers, or the people we support if you’ve completely neglected yourself. Even small moments of recover matter: taking a walk, drinking your coffee while it’s still hot, reading for 15 minutes. Take the effort to really consider what your mind and body need and then protect it fiercely.
Sometimes realistically, that may mean a day off work, a date night, or a vacation. If we do not intentionally create space for our personal lives, work will happily occupy every available hour so schedule it like you would schedule an important meeting.
If your role requires after-hours availability, establish clear expectations about what is actually urgent. Not every email needs an immediate response, it will still be there waiting for you in the morning. If you will be out of reach, speak with your supervisors early and often to create a plan that both supports your team at work and allows you the space to be “off” off.
3. Build Routines- But Make Them Flexible
I’ll be honest. I don’t particularly enjoy routines, but my family functions so much better because of them. Morning routines reduce chaos. Bedtime routines create consistency. Calendar reminders prevent forgotten appointments.
But eventually, everything goes sideways. Someone gets sick, school calls, the babysitter cancels. A work crisis happens at exactly the wrong time. Having backup childcare options or simply knowing who you can call before you’re in crisis removes so much unnecessary stress. Hope for smooth weeks. Plan for messy ones.
The goal isn’t rigid perfection, it is creating structure that when life inevitably throws something unexpected your way, everything else doesn’t fall apart too. You won’t always get the balance right. If you miss the mark- and every parent eventually does- say you’re sorry, learn from it, and try again tomorrow. I have to believe that is what our children will remember.
4. There Is No Perfect Balance
I don’t think work-life balance means giving equal attention to everything every single day. I think it means creating a life that feels sustainable: one where your career can grow without losing sight of why you’re working so hard in the first place.
And if no one has told you lately, I’ll say it: You’re probably doing better than you think. Your children won’t remember every email you answered. They’ll remember that you kept showing up, kept trying, and kept loving them through all of life’s wonderfully imperfect moments.
