Daisy Dowling is the author of the book, “Workparent – The Complete Guide to Succeeding on the Job, Staying True to Yourself and Raising Happy Kids.” She wrote it for the thousands of other parents who find themselves in a similar situation.
I'm a working mom of two young daughters,” Dowling said. “They're nine and ten. So, I'm living this myself. I think we've all been raised or trained or talked to ourselves, to believe that doing those three things, succeeding at work, being present and loving parents and staying healthy and holding ourselves in the process is impossible. And we think that because we were never coached or taught or handheld on how to do this. But there are tools and techniques and self-hacks and perspectives that can help us bring those three important goals together. And that's what we're going to be sharing in the workshops next week.”
Dowling says trying to maintain all three is exhausting. And it’s something that she’ll address.
“So, one of the things we'll also cover is how to stoke your own energy, how to keep your battery up as a working parent. I think so often, we think of me time or downtime or recharge time as being time away from the kids, we feel selfish or conflicted around it,” she said. “We're going to reframe that and help you find the specific ways when you don't have whole weekends or whole days free, that you can actually get yourself back up to that place of feeling more energized. So, you can deliver on the job and at home with your kids.”
And every working parent she says needs to work through the guilt...
“Get out of that habit that we all have of daily scorekeeping, Dowling said. “It's 10 or 11 o'clock at night, you're getting ready to go to bed, you look over the day and you say to yourself, I missed dinner with the kids, again, because I had to work late because of that deadline. And you feel terrible; you feel like you let your kids down. But that's just over the course of one 12 to 18 hour period that you're judging yourself. And that’s really not a fair or accurate amount of time. Instead, think about how you showed up for your family and on the job over the course of the week, or the month or a couple of months.”
Dowling is being brought in by The Hive Family Collective, started two years ago by three local women, Perry Hardy, Joanna Kahn and Sara Hutchinson. It’s a network for local parents to share in the joys and challenges of raising children. They offer several support and social groups.
The workshops will be held next Wednesday, Oct. 19. The first is a lunch and learn at Hearth and Hill from noon to 2:30 p.m. The $50 price includes lunch and a copy of Dowling’s book. Later, an evening workshop will be held at Newpark Resort from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The $30 price includes a book and dessert.
To register for either the lunch or evening workshop, click here.
