{"id":22544,"date":"2026-03-11T13:10:34","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T13:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/surprising-solution-one-overworked-mom\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T11:03:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T15:03:03","slug":"surprising-solution-one-overworked-mom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/life-advice\/work-life\/surprising-solution-one-overworked-mom\/","title":{"rendered":"Balancing Act"},"content":{"rendered":"

I raced through the kitchen, practically tripping over my briefcase. \u201cKaren! You forgot to take your lunch!\u201d I shouted after my eight-year-old daughter who was already halfway to the school bus.<\/p>\n

Kelly, 11, came tearing behind both of us, books spilling out of her unzipped backpack, and snatched Karen\u2019s lunch out of my hand. \u201cDon\u2019t forget about my basketball game tonight, Mom,\u201d she called over her shoulder as she adjusted her pack on the run. Oh, my gosh, I had<\/em> forgotten<\/a>!<\/p>\n

My husband, Mike, was in a new job and wouldn\u2019t be home till late, so I\u2019d have to leave work early, rush to Karen\u2019s talent show dress rehearsal\u2014then somehow fit in Kelly\u2019s game, dinner and my own homework.<\/p>\n

My goal had always been to get a doctorate, and since my company paid most of the tuition, Mike and I had agreed I should go for it.<\/p>\n

But at the moment all I felt like going for were two aspirin and another six hours of sleep. \u201cBye, girls, have a good day,\u201d I called to them.<\/p>\n

How long had it been since I\u2019d<\/em> had a good day? I was rushing around from early morning until late at night. I felt I was snapping under the stress<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d been raised to be achievement oriented. My dad worked in the retail business, my mom for the school system. My parents always exhorted the five of us kids to take risks. Try new things. Be the best you can be, and trust God to give you guidance.<\/p>\n

I had worked hard, and was proud of my accomplishments.<\/p>\n

I was a director in a Fortune 500 company, handling external affairs for a prominent regional telecommunications firm. I\u2019d married Mike a few years after college, and from the beginning we\u2019d agreed to be a two-career family.<\/p>\n

Now we had two wonderful, high-energy daughters and lived in a nice neighborhood. Our lifestyle was anything but lavish. Like many families, it was<\/em> dependent on two incomes.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I was uneasy as I arrived at my office that day. The company was in the middle of another downsizing, and over the past few months nearly a third of the director positions in my department had been transferred or eliminated, with more cuts to come<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In fact, I had been reading the classified ads for weeks to see what else was out there.<\/p>\n

I spent the rest of the workday at maximum efficiency, barely talking to anybody unless it was necessary for a project I was trying to get done. At 5 p.m. I hurried off to Karen\u2019s talent show, then whisked her to Kelly\u2019s basketball game.<\/p>\n

When we arrived home, Mike made us all macaroni and cheese, then the girls and I hit the books.<\/p>\n

After I finally fell into bed, I told my husband the latest goings-on in the office. \u201cMike, more people are being transferred or let go,\u201d I said. \u201cI want to hang on, but I hate to think of being moved to another department. I love the work I\u2019m doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKerry, we really need your job.\u201d Mike said quietly. An engineer, Mike had been laid off<\/a> just before Christmas. He\u2019d found a job in January, but it was now April and his position was still precarious due to the economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are our safety net for income and benefits. If your job is eliminated, you have<\/em> to find another one.\u201d<\/p>\n

I sighed and quickly changed the topic: \u201cI\u2019m still concerned about Karen.\u201d For a month now, our younger daughter had started following me around the house asking me to stay home. I\u2019d discussed my concerns with a friend who felt that Karen needed Mike and me to spend more time with her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m worried too,\u201d Mike admitted. \u201cBut I\u2019m in a brand-new job. It requires travel. Is there any way for you to work something out with your schedule?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How could I find more<\/em> time in my schedule? I scrunched my head down in my pillow, trying to quiet the thoughts racing in my mind<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The next morning I was back at work, staring at the piles of paper on my desk. The inbox was full\u2014again. My e-mail was filled with messages, many marked urgent, and I had five meetings scheduled.<\/p>\n

As I was wondering where to begin, I was called to my boss\u2019s office. Now it\u2019s my turn to get the bad news\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cKerry,\u201d he announced, \u201cYou\u2019re not being laid off, even though we have to eliminate your position. I\u2019ve canvassed our other departments, and found out there\u2019s an opening for you to be the regional vice president of our service clubs.\u201d He stopped to let the words sink in.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d he continued, \u201cyou will be helping them with their service projects all over the 13-state area. It\u2019s a lot of night and weekend work. But it is a two-level promotion.\u201d He beamed. \u201cSo\u2026you can start in a few weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

My mind reeled. \u201cThis offer is kind of a shock,\u201d I replied. \u201cI need to discuss it with my husband and get back to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

My boss looked startled. \u201cYou know I don\u2019t have anything else in the wings for you, don\u2019t you?\u201d he said. \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t pass up an opportunity like this\u2026\u201d his voice trailed off. \u201cI\u2019ll need an answer fast\u2014first thing in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

I went back to my office, shut the door, and cried. Who would have thought the offer of a double promotion could reduce a person to tears?<\/p>\n

That night, Mike and I lay in bed discussing all the options. We agreed the promotion for me was out. Both of us couldn\u2019t travel and raise our children the way we wanted.<\/p>\n

However, if the promotion was out, what was in? When I delivered the no to my boss the next day, what else could I suggest? If I didn\u2019t nail something down, I\u2019d probably be laid off. I\u2019d lose my salary, our family\u2019s benefits, my tuition.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d have to find a completely new job\u2014but that would mean long hours climbing a steep learning curve just when I needed to be home more for Karen.<\/p>\n

Our questions circled like a hamster on a wheel, spinning around and around, but never going anywhere. We just didn\u2019t have answers.<\/a><\/p>\n

Mike finally fell asleep around 3 a.m. I stayed awake, praying. God, I know you have a plan for me. But how do I make time for my daughters and keep the family afloat? God, what can I do? I have so many commitments. I feel like I\u2019m being torn apart!<\/em><\/p>\n

I tossed. I turned. I prayed. And then in my mind the words came to me. Stop rushing madly. There are different ways to do things, new ways. <\/em>I remembered the Bible story in which Jesus talked about how you can\u2019t put new wine into old wineskins.<\/p>\n

Was that what I was trying to do? To fit all the parts of my life into the same frenzied pattern instead of being open to new possibilities?<\/p>\n

The next morning, I stepped onto the elevator going up to my office and nodded at the woman who entered after me. Ordinarily I was so preoccupied that I wouldn\u2019t have gotten into a conversation. But that day I was reminded: Be open to new possibilities.<\/a><\/p>\n

I looked at her and smiled. \u201cHow are things going in your department?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cLots of changes,\u201d she said. She was in the small-business department and told me about several people who had left. \u201cAnd Donna Skubis-Pearce is looking for someone to share her job,\u201d she said. We chatted until I reached my floor.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I walked toward my office. I thought, Share a job? Do people do that?<\/em> Usually I would have tossed away that tidbit of information like a piece of scrap paper into the waste basket. But for some reason the idea remained and glowed like an ember.<\/p>\n

Job sharing? I\u2019d heard it mentioned before in the company. But what did it entail?<\/p>\n

I dropped my briefcase beside my desk and before even taking off my jacket I dialed a friend in Human Resources. \u201cActually, a lot of companies are allowing job sharing now,\u201d she told me.<\/p>\n

She explained that meant my partner would work half a week, and I\u2019d work the other half\u2014for half the salary, of course, and with pro-rated benefits and tuition.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot depends on the partners\u2019 compatibility and how flexible they are in working out the details,\u201d my friend explained. I remembered one time when Donna and I had teamed up on a project, it had worked out well. \u201cIt\u2019s an option worth considering.\u201d<\/p>\n

I called Mike and although he didn\u2019t relish the loss of half my income, he did agree job sharing had a lot of positives. After all, when I was off from work and the girls were in school, I could take classes and go to the library. When Karen was home, I could spend most of my free time with her.<\/p>\n

After Mike and I hung up, I dialed Donna. It turned out she and I were at the same job level. After a few minutes of conversation about our career and personal goals, I sensed we\u2019d be compatible. \u201cI think we\u2019d make a good team,\u201d Donna agreed. \u201cLet me see what my boss says.\u201d<\/p>\n

I held the line\u2014and my breath\u2014until she returned. \u201cShe says it\u2019s okay to give it a try,\u201d Donna declared, elated. \u201cLet\u2019s have lunch to map out how we would handle our responsibilities and then go talk to Human Resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

I went back to my boss, thanked him for the promotion, and explained why I\u2019d decided I couldn\u2019t take it. Donna and I started job sharing.<\/p>\n

Later that month, once we learned how to share our work with each other and established a productive and comfortable routine<\/a>, I was able to gear down and spend more time with the kids. Karen felt more secure. And I came up with an idea for my doctoral dissertation\u2014job sharing!<\/p>\n

The job share guide I put together in that process has since helped many others find a way to balance their work and home lives.<\/p>\n

Five years have passed, Donna\u2019s moved on to her own consulting business and I\u2019m now job sharing with Susan Rhode. Job sharing turned out to be a realistic and satisfying way of rearranging my life.<\/p>\n

The solution I\u2019d searched for finally came about when I stopped rushing around and picked up my messages from God: There are always new ways to do old things. Be open to them.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I raced through the kitchen, practically tripping over my briefcase. \u201cKaren! You forgot to take your lunch!\u201d I shouted after my eight-year-old daughter who was already halfway to the school bus. 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