How to Balance Parenting with Your Dental Career

Dentistry is a woman-dominated industry. So many of us are trying to master the art of work/life balance without much success. 

Do you ever get that nagging feeling that you shouldn’t be thinking about work when you’re at home, or how much you miss your little one when you’re at work? No matter where you are, your mind seems to wander.

Searching for perfect work and home life balance is like chasing an invisible dragon. Sure, life is a balancing act, but finding balance sounds like a woo-woo version of a never-ending scavenger hunt.

Here’s some inside information from women in the dental industry who also run a household. From spouses and support systems to flying solo and running it all.

Balance: A Day In the Life

Wake up, make breakfast, send the children off, get to work, and repeat. It seems like a typical schedule, nothing fancy, right? 

Well, since women dominate the dental industry, feeling constantly overwhelmed and even anxious is not uncommon.

Getting a restful night’s sleep, eating right, and reaching out for support is what you’re supposed to do as it will enhance your work/life balance. We’re not created equal. We’re all unique. What may work for me, may not be the best fit for your lifestyle.

The most important thing to remember is that finding balance is a tough expedition, but living in the moment is often much easier.

It might sound new-age, but living in the moment may help elevate your mood and reduce feelings of anxiousness and stress. If you’re at work. be at work. When you’re at home, be at home.

Unexpected Stresses Working and Having Children

Even if you’re not the owner of a dental practice, you spend the majority of your time there. Your role as a dental assistant or hygienist is just as vital as your role as a parent.

Compartmentalizing may come easy to some, but to others, it’s a tough thing to do.

On top of building your career, you need to figure out daily meals, scheduling extra-curricular activities, and dropping your little ones off at daycare when they’re not feeling so well.
Your patients need care and attention, so you may find yourself working late, or often postponing those playdates you scheduled for your children.

Pro tip:  Remember, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all perfect cookie-cutter schedule.

Having Support

Your husband or inner-circle will be a really great support. People who are actively at home so you can enhance your career is one of the best things you can have to achieve balance. Having a baby sitter in the home when your children are small. 

Don’t fret over the attachment your children may form to their care-giver because you’re their parent and nobody can replace that.

Finally, having your family around like grandparents, aunts, and uncles to attend events and help with the daily pick-up can help you take comfort in knowing your home life is good.

Blissful Balance: Greatest Benefits of Having Kids and Working in the Dental Industry

Even if you have to punch a clock and answer to a boss, you still have the flexibility and can create a schedule that works for you. 

When your children are little, oftentimes you’ll want to be home during the school year to attend events and help them with their homework. Finding an employer who values family is a great way to ensure you can take personal time off you need without harboring any guilt. 

Finding an employer that aligns with your family values and appreciates their employees is easier than it sounds. There are times whee your child may need to hang out at the office for an hour or so before you get off, and that should be okay.

Having your children alongside a thriving dental career is something that you should be proud of. Showing your children that with a little planning and hard work, they can accomplish anything they want.

Finding Balance Parenting and Your Dental Career

Being in control of your life and managing all the responsibilities can be a little intimidating. Now throw on personal and professional growth along with building a family, well, you might feel like it’s impossible.

Depending on where you are in your life, you shouldn’t be frustrated with the success of others. It can be tough sometimes, running around between school activities and pro-D days, there are many excuses to leave work early, or to not come in at all.

That’s okay. It’s normal to feel like everyone wants a piece of you, or that you are being pulled into too many directions.

Key factors you can see if your work life may need some tweaking included: 

Keep Your Eyes on the Big Picture

You can get to your dream job. You can change your dreams as you evolve. That’s your right. Before you had a family your dreams may have been different. Now you can create a new and improved list to enhance your current lifestyle.

Finding Flex

Flex. Aka: flexibility of how long and where you work is huge. Flex is great when you’re raising your family. Flex also makes working much more enjoyable. 

If you are working strict hours, there’s probably not much wiggle-room to get to your child’s dance program or take them to their gymnastics.

Having flexibility with your work means you can decide to work from home, work outside traditional 9-5 hours, and choose to work longers days with an added day off.  

In A Nutshell

There’s no such thing as perfect balance. Acceptance is a key technique in destressing and feeling less anxious. 

Finding a dental career that values family and understands work flexibility is an asset that can help you Fastrack your career.

It is never too late to re-assess and level-up your dream job criteria-it’s your right!

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