The Working Mother Quotes We Love

As working moms, we know all too well that time to ourselves can be prrretty tough to come by. Every minute of every day belongs to someone else, from those middle-of-the-night feeding sessions to those middle-of-the-day lunch meetings.

Victoria Beckham (yes, Victoria Beckham) nailed it with the working mother quotes when she said, “Like so many working mothers all over the world, I feel the constant struggle to be the best mother I can, whilst setting a good example for my children to work hard.”

For us traveling working mamas, she went on to add, “I travel for work when it’s necessary, and I miss them all the time when I am away.”

Preach!

We do what we have to do in order to nurture our children and our careers because loving them also means setting an example of working hard and going after our dreams – so that one day they’ll be inspired to do the same.

Still, that doesn’t leave us with a ton of “me time,” does it? In fact, a 2017 study found that working moms only get one hour and seven minutes to themselves each day. And, as we all know, we often get most of that precious “me time” when we are feeling the most exhausted – after our kids go to sleep (if they go to sleep). The rest of our “me time” is captured by the minute – whether it is locking our kids out of the bathroom for a quick pee, or staying in the shower for a couple extra minutes. Sometimes even the morning commute feels like a staycation.

The struggle is real! And, at times, it can feel like we are alone in the challenges. That’s when a few solid working mother quotes can keep you going. Words of wisdom from someone who has been there… someone who has survived… someone who can help you laugh your way through a sleepless night, endless diapers and spit up on your shirt. Because… together as moms, we are a tribe.

“The phrase ‘working mother’ is redundant.” – Unknown

“I’m already tired tomorrow.” –Unknown

“Someone said to me the other day, ‘You look so nice today, what did you do?’ I told her it was the first time in weeks that I didn’t put my make-up on in the car.” –Unknown

Have you ever noticed how all the best mom-quotes are attributed to unknown sources (or to a million different original sources, depending on where you look.)? That’s because moms are WAY too busy and selfless to care about fame… and, let’s face it, it is really hard to remember what you said five minutes ago, let alone having the time to cite it.

Author Jodi Picoult once wrote, “24/7. Once you sign up to be a mother, that’s the only shift they offer.” 24/7. It doesn’t leave much time for anything else.

“A great way to spice up your sex life would be to… have sex.” -Unknown

“There is no point at which you can say, ‘Well, I’m successful now. I might as well take a nap.’” -Unknown

Even with no time, and no sleep, working moms get sh*t done. As working moms, we’ve never encountered a “straw that broke the camel’s back.” We’ve only ever encountered an infinite supply of straws.

“Raising kids and running a house keeps me pretty busy, too. I also have a little gig on the side called a full-time job.” -Unknown

“I know how to do anything – I’m a Mom.” –Unknown

And, we get sh*t done because we are the superheroes of prioritization and efficiency. We do what matters first, and we do it right. Always. Whether we’re at work or at home. Because as Jessica Alba once said, “The time I’m not spending with my kids has to be worth it.”

We know every second we spend away from them has to count.

“There are three ways to get something done: do it yourself, hire someone to do it, or ask your kids not to do it.” –Unknown

Of course, there are good days and bad days. Days when we want to quit our jobs and days when we long for our pre-children lives. Other days, we can’t wait to get to the office and days we can’t wait to get home to see our kids.

“The story of a mother’s life: Trapped between a scream and a hug.” –Unknown

But at the end of every day, it’s worth it. Because, let’s face it, our kids are the most amazing people we’ve ever met. We love them fiercely – even when they make us bonkers.

“I always say, if you aren’t yelling at your kids, you’re not spending enough time with them.” –Reese Witherspoon

“Dance like only your kid is watching, cook like no one will scream they hate it, and sneeze like you won’t pee your pants.” -Unknown

“If you like people who do stupid sh*t all the time, become a parent.” –Unknown

Good days or bad, in our hearts we all know the truth… that motherhood the most important job in the world – period. Our job is to try to make tiny babies and wild kids into smart, caring, strong human beings.

“There was never a great man who had not a great mother.” -Unknown

“Behind every great kid is a mom who’s pretty sure she’s screwing it all up.” -Unknown

So the next time you wipe the spit up from your shirt, or wash the poop off your hands, or close your eyes for what will probably be a sleepless night, just remember this:

“Even on the days you feel like you are failing, look around. I promise your kids still think you are the best mom in the whole universe.” –Unknown

You’ve got this, Mama.