Thursday, November 5, 2026
Dear Moms on Purpose,
Between raising my children, managing my career, maintaining my marriage, keeping up with the house, and trying to find a little time for myself, I constantly feel like I’m falling short somewhere. No matter how much I accomplish, there’s always something left undone. How do other moms manage to balance it all without feeling guilty, overwhelmed, or like they’re failing at something?
Sincerely,
Trying to Have It All
Dear Trying to Have It All,
“I am woman, hear me roar!”
For generations, women have embraced this anthem of strength, independence, and empowerment. We were told we could do anything, be anything, and accomplish anything we set our minds to.
And somewhere along the way, “I can do anything” became “I have to do everything.”
A successful career, a happy marriage, well-adjusted children, a beautiful home, meaningful friendships, community involvement, and, of course, time for ourselves.
What nobody mentioned was that apparently, we’re supposed to accomplish all of this before 5:00 PM, with dinner on the table.
As a business owner, wife, mother of a three-year-old, and someone who genuinely enjoys being involved in my community, I’ve learned that there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to give everything 100 percent.
And yet, we try.
We answer work calls while making breakfast. We mentally organize tomorrow’s schedule while reading bedtime stories. We volunteer for one more event, agree to one more commitment, and somehow convince ourselves that next week will be less hectic.
Spoiler alert: It never is.
And apparently, we’re not alone in feeling overwhelmed.
According to the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2024 advisory, Parents Under Pressure, 48% of parents reported that their stress felt completely overwhelming on most days, compared with 26% of adults without children. That’s nearly half of parents admitting that the demands of everyday life sometimes feel like too much.
A 2026 Pew Research Center study also found that in households where both parents work full-time, 52% of parents reported that mothers handle more of the day-to-day parenting responsibilities. Another 43% said mothers take on more household chores.
It’s no wonder so many women feel like they’re constantly running a marathon without a finish line.
Motherhood has a funny way of changing our definition of success. Before becoming a mom, I could measure a productive day by how much I accomplished. Now, some of my most important accomplishments don’t appear on a to-do list.
Sometimes success is closing a big deal. Other times, it’s putting down my phone and spending an uninterrupted afternoon with my daughter.
Sometimes it’s a spotless house. Other times, it’s a living room covered in toys because we spent the day making memories instead of cleaning up after them.
And sometimes, success is simply getting everyone fed, bathed, and into bed without losing your mind.
I’ve come to realize that balance isn’t about dividing our time equally among everything that matters. It’s about recognizing what deserves our attention in a particular moment.
There will be seasons when our careers demand more of us. Seasons when our children need us more. Seasons when our marriages, friendships, or even our own well-being need to move to the top of the priority list.
And that’s okay.
The challenge is learning to be present in whichever season we’re in, without feeling guilty about everything else.
Because the truth is, when I’m working, I sometimes feel guilty that I’m not with my daughter. When I’m spending time with her, there’s often a running list of things I should be doing for work. And when I finally take a little time for myself, there’s that familiar voice reminding me of everything waiting at home.
Sound familiar?
Interestingly, the American Psychological Association has reported that constantly switching between tasks can actually reduce productivity and increase mistakes. In other words, our attempts to do everything simultaneously may be making life more difficult rather than easier.
Maybe the answer isn’t becoming better multitaskers. Maybe it’s giving ourselves permission to focus on one thing at a time.
And perhaps, more importantly, recognizing that we don’t have to carry every responsibility alone.
Asking for help isn’t a weakness. Saying no doesn’t make us selfish. And taking time for ourselves isn’t something we should have to earn after everyone else’s needs have been met.
I also believe there’s something valuable about our children seeing us pursue our own dreams. I want my daughter to grow up knowing that she can build a career, raise a family, contribute to her community, and pursue whatever brings her happiness. But I also want her to understand that her worth isn’t measured by how much she accomplishes or how many responsibilities she can juggle. I don’t want to teach her that being a successful woman means being an exhausted one. And perhaps that’s a lesson I need to keep learning myself.
So here’s to the moms running businesses, managing households, volunteering, raising children, nurturing relationships, and occasionally remembering to take care of themselves.
Here’s to the moms who have ambitious goals but still want to be there for every little milestone. The moms who love their careers but sometimes wish they could press pause. And the moms who give so much of themselves that they occasionally forget they’re people, too.
Maybe having it all was never supposed to mean doing it all. Maybe it means building a life we love, knowing that different things will take priority at different times.
We can have a fulfilling career, a loving family, meaningful relationships, and a life filled with purpose. We just don’t have to give every part of that life our undivided attention every single day.
And if today wasn’t your most productive day, but your child went to bed feeling loved, I’d say you accomplished something pretty important.
Because having it all doesn’t mean doing it all, all at once.
Sources
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General. (2024). Parents Under Pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents. https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/parents/index.html
Pew Research Center. (June 16, 2026). How U.S. Working Parents Divide Family Responsibilities. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2026/06/16/how-working-parents-divide-family-responsibilities/
American Psychological Association. Multitasking: Switching Costs. https://www.apa.org/topics/research/multitasking
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