I’m barely holding it together: Scarlett Johansson on being a working mum

Most of us live with an assumption that celebrities have it easy when it comes to taking care of their children. With a barrage of nannies, chefs and chauffeurs to do most of the running around, who wouldn’t? But a parent is a parent is a parent! Scarlett Johansson opens up her heart about how she feels torn between being a mum and a career woman at the same time, despite all the so-called help!

As per this report, Scarlett, who was the guest of honour at the afAR New York Gala recently, expressed feeling conflicted with her time as the ‘normal’ non-celeb mums. This working mother of a two-year-old daughter said, “I think you always feel a little bit of guilt… If you’re at work, you feel like you’re missing out on those special moments with your kid. If you’re with your kid, you feel like you’re not giving enough to your job. It’s a balance.” She went on to add that she has a lot of ‘huge admiration for working moms’ while she is barely holding it together.

Let’s be honest. Doesn’t that hold true for most every working mother? While Scarlett Johansson voiced her insecurities, most of us just don’t air these thoughts openly. Either it’s the fear of being judged for not being capable enough to handle it all, or is it the state of denial where we do not want to accept that we are human and there are certain lacks, which is absolutely fine. Here are some tips to organise your life, time, and guilt, one small step at a time:

• Stay organised: Invest in a good planner. Once you have a decent plan in place, chores like making daily lists of meetings, tasks, your family’s schedule, etc. will become easy. Having a plan will hep you organise the nittygritties in advance and you can decided whether you need to delegate some responsibility off to either your husband, household, or a responsible family member at home.
• Cook in advance: While it may sound like an additional responsibility once you are back from home from work, think about saving some time in the morning. In the morning, you will need all the time to pack lunch, get dressed, sort out your kids’ clothes for the day and amidst all this, having to cook food can be a pain. Instead, whatever can be ticked off the list the night before, do it. Moreover, you don’t want to find out that an important ingredient is missing at 6 in the morning.
• Stay sane and guilt-free: Avoid going to the mall or the park at lunchtime. Watching stay-at-home mothers walking around with their bubs will just make you feel guilty about losing out not hat precious time. Instead, focus on the values you are instilling in your little ones being an independent, working mother. There’s always a catch and the grass is always greener on the other side. The trick is to focus on the patch that belongs to you.

For all those working mothers who feel that taking the guilt trip is ‘normal’, this is what I believe. While it has been ‘normal’ so far, it’s high time that mentality changes. What say?

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