Please Don't "Take it Like a Mom"

I'm a huge fan of Forbes Girl Friday blog, and loved the content of this week's post. But the title- Should Overwhelmed Working Women Ask for Help or "Take it Like a Mom?" is maybe the silliest question I've heard all day. That's like asking a drowning person if they wouldn't mind using a life raft.

I've blogged in the past about these exact themes, that just because you can do it all doesn't mean you should, that you should put down your cape Super Mom, that you must make time for yourself. But how, as Forbes Girl Friday Meghan Casserly points out, can you do that if you are working on average 11 more hours per week than your parents did in the 1970s AND spending on average 12 hours more per week with your children than your partners? It stands to reason the stress levels are sky-rocketing.

Bottom Line: Ask for Help.

• Engage your partner: According to a recent study by Boston College, the majority of Dads want to be more involved in home life and parenting. So let them. Play to their strengths, give them a job, and don't criticize the end-result.
• Build Your Village: Whether's it's something like the Bus Stop Meal Swap I put together with the other 3 moms of 3 on my block or an involved grandparent or the Dads in your carpool, put together your support system. Do for them what you will need for you: kid pickups when a work meeting runs late, an errand by your office, meals when you're sick.
• Investigate Flexible Work Options: Flexible work options come in all shapes and sizes and every organization and every employee has different needs and tolerance levels. Find the match between the two parties. Even telecommuting one day per week in the Washington, D.C. metro area will give you back, on average, 2 hours. Imagine what you can do in TWO WHOLE HOURS!

Super Mom is possible but it's not hot.