| Juggling with Work Life Balance
I have been juggling with work-life balance ever since I got married and had my three children. Striving to fulfill the American dream of owning a home in the suburbs and providing a good education for our children, both my husband and I have worked throughout our married lives (43 years now). During the early years, I juggled with working, attending college at night, maintaining a household, attending PTA meetings, little league games, being a den mother, religious education, field trips, etc. I was fortunate having a supportive husband who helped with all the tasks, and a wonderful mother as the babysitter. This took a tremendous burden off me. The children have grown up and are college graduates who have pursued their own professional careers.
However, I am still juggling. Now I have to provide care for my 84-year old mother who has Alzheimer’s and lives with us. This is the woman who raised me and helped raise my children. It is now time for me to take care of her. I am still working full-time so it is not easy. I own my own business and am not employed by corporate America. Therefore, I have more flexibility being my own boss. I have some assistance providing care for my mother from home health aides and a senior center day care program. However, since I am an only child, my husband and I give the primary care, with some assistance from our children. My mother requires 24-hour care so it is a constant juggling act making sure that all shifts are covered. The point I want to make is that if you work and you are caring for a child, an elderly parent, or, in some instances, both, work-life balance is a juggling act.
Maria Hernandez is the past president of the New York Federation of Business and Professional Women's Organization and currently owns the UPS store of Massapequa Park, New York.
by Maria I. Hernandez
Complete story in this issue of DASH.
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