Motherhood: Finding the balance

Tracy Pryce
Is it possible to balance working as a lawyer and motherhood and be happy Yes.Is it easy? No.Is it for everyone?  Maybe not. How do I do it? I have had to make sacrifices and compromises – but I have chosen my sacrifices and compromises carefully and I am happy with the choices I have made. I try very hard not to feel guilty for not being with my children while at work or guilty for not being at work when I am at home with my children. Often, there is an inner tug of war between the “Type A” urge I have to take all the work I can and excel, and the urge to be at home with my children. That is where the “balance” comes in. I have been very fortunate that Gunstons allows me to work part-time.With my reduced schedule, I am able to spend most afternoons with my children, working from home when the need arises. At work, I try to not take on more than I can handle but I don’t always succeed. When matters get crazy, I work more. That is just the reality. I may not sleep or exercise as much as I would like, but I manage. I have become more efficient and learnt to delegate more, set bound aries and stick to them and I have learnt to make the time with my children quality time. When I am with them, I give them my all. But when I am at work, I work very, very hard to provide the best legal services possible to our clients. There is prioritization in my life.My life is not always easy and rarely stress-free but it is rewarding and meaningful. It helps that I have very supportive family and friends nearby and that there are other working mothers at Gunstons that I can lean on, learn from and vent to. It helps that I truly like being a lawyer and I like the people I work with.Sometimes it does get totally overwhelming and exhausting but most of the time, I look at my life and think that I am incredibly blessed. Thankfully I took on motherhood without thinking excessively about the impact it would have on my career. Because I am fulfilled at work, I am able to be a better mother to my children. I rarely have time to worry about whether I can actually do what I need to do, I just do it! At the end of the day my kids are great, my husband is the best partner I could hope for and I love what I do and the firm I work for.Tracy Pryce works as a Senior Asociate at Gunstons Attorneys. Tracy has a passion for drafting contracts and agreements and advising clients on commercial matters. Amongst other areas she has become an expert on the new Consumer Protection Act and the new Companies Act. For more information on Tracy and her background follow the link here.