Prologue_ Work and Parenting Are Not Choices 004

Chapter 1: Being a Working Mom Makes Me Stronger

Growing Instead of Quitting 015
Careers Grow Like Children 023
Burnout Escape Tips for Working Moms 027
When your stamina breaks down, everything breaks down. 031
Working Moms Toughen Their Children 036
Children who grow on their own 040
Resetting my life, not just as a career woman 046
★Key Summary for Busy Parents 052

Chapter 2 A Child's Life Is Determined Before He or She Turns Ten

Don't spend money on children's items until they are 5 years old. 057
Parents Are Not Friends 062
How to Win a Child's Heart in 10 Minutes a Day 066
Starting your day happy will change your life 070
It's Okay to Play Alone 073
Teach the basics of life before the age of ten 077
The more respect a child receives every day, the higher his or her self-esteem will be. 083
3 Behaviors That Destroy Your Child's Brain 089
Firmly when young, gently when adolescence 094
No child can beat a smartphone 098
Behind every good child is a father. 104
Talent isn't something you find, it's something you discover. 108
Children who do chores are better off in the world. 114
Family events are the best places for character education. 118
A Meal That's Healthier Than Supplements and Medicine 122
Even in apartments, childcare can be shared. 126
Preparing for Reinstatement with Your Child: A to Z 131
138 Things Moms Should Keep in Mind When Raising Grandmothers
How to Soothe a Child's Heart After Hurt 144
★ Key Summary for Busy Parents 148

Chapter 3: Our Children's Study Methods: Now It's Time to Change

It's enough to return home safely every day 155
How to Deal with a Child Who Doesn't Have a Talent for Studying 159
Not a child who does things like others, but a child who is different from others 162
168 To a child who asks why he or she should study
Changing How You Use Your Brain Changes Your Focus 172
The Power of 66 Days to Change Your Study Habits 177
How to Build a Smart Brain 180
Niche Reading Education: Turning Children into Book Lovers 184
★ Key Summary for Busy Parents 190

Chapter 4: How Working Moms Grow into Professionals

The more you work in a dual-income household, the more you need to work hard. 195
A mother's attitude toward work can change her child's life. 200
You need presence to seize opportunities 205
Workplace is a place where performance speaks volumes, not friendships 209
How to Build Relationships Without Getting Hurt 212
Working Moms' Time Should Flow Differently 216
My steps pave the way for the next generation. 220
★ Key Summary for Busy Parents 224

Chapter 5: A good couple influences their child's emotions.

Is everything okay between us now? 229
What Makes an Intimate Couple Different? 234
The more the child is centered, the more distant the couple becomes. 239
When a couple's relationship is strained, the child's heart becomes empty. 242
247 Things to Keep in Mind When Fighting in Front of Your Kids
Courtesy Comes Before Love 252
There are certain words that move a husband 256
How to Love Without Regrets, Part 261
★ Key Summary for Busy Parents 264

Chapter 6: Parents and Children Grow Together

When the mother is shaken, the child falls apart. 269
274 Reasons Why You Should Take Care of Yourself Before Your Children
Letting Go of Perfectionism 277
Anger leaves scars on a child's body 280
Am I Really a Good Parent? 284
The mind also needs regular checkups 288
Mom and Dad Growth Project - Now, It's Time for Parents to Grow Up Too 292
★ Key Summary for Busy Parents 296

“Let’s let go of the compulsion to balance work and childcare 50/50.”
This is what Lee Su-yeon, the director of the Korea Working Mom Research Institute for 15 years and a mother of two sons, says.
Everything Working Moms Need to Know

Working moms in Korea live their lives fulfilling five roles: mother, wife, office worker, daughter-in-law, and daughter.
Why do they strive so hard to be better mothers?
Twenty years ago, ten years ago, and even now, working moms feel guilty and blame themselves whenever their children get sick, forget their supplies, get hurt while playing, or just look gloomy, wondering, "Maybe I'm neglecting my child because I'm working."


But the mothers who make their children sick are not working mothers, but mothers who are dissatisfied with their lives and feel unhappy.
So, don't feel sorry towards your child just because you are a working mom.
You shouldn't give up work just because of your child.
Now that the 100-year lifespan has become a reality, it has become a basic premise that everyone, regardless of age or gender, should work as long and consistently as possible.
Finding your own answer to the question, "Why do I work?" and striving to uphold that value is the way to live proudly as a working mother without being trapped in the dichotomous thinking of "work or children?" in a world that insists that "childcare is still a mother's duty."
This book contains the author's detailed account of how she raised her two sons while meeting various working mothers in numerous fields for 15 years, and how she never gave up on work and was able to grow up happily with her children.
If you're a working mom who struggles to balance work and childcare, this book will help you discover that "growing together with your child" isn't an impossible dream.

“Don’t feel sorry for the child.
We are not neglecting children, but giving them the opportunity to become independent.
“This is the best gift a working mom can give.”

Although there are many support policies for working moms and working dads, it is still not easy to raise children while working in South Korea.
From the moment you have a child, you need to consider when to take maternity leave so you can spend as much time with your child as possible without worrying about what your company thinks. When taking parental leave, you need to consider how to do so without causing a burden to the organization or hindering your future career, such as promotions or important projects.
Even after being reinstated, it is rare to find a day when you feel at ease.
I feel pressured not to work overtime, so I'm always rushing to get to work. If my child gets sick, unless it's to the point where they need to be hospitalized, all I can do is anxiously wait for the end of work.
After work, it's hard to even take a breather because of the piled up housework and caring for the children.


Work, children, and family are things we must never give up to live happily.
One cannot be sacrificed or substituted for the other.
So, even if it's difficult right now, we need to be wise and not try to hastily give up on either one by weighing work and childcare. Instead, we need to consider the timing and importance of both and find a balance, like riding a seesaw.
As I continue to ponder, "How can I continue my work while growing with my child?" and take each step forward, unexpected alternatives will emerge and clues to solving the problem will appear.
The important thing is to do your best, considering only the choices you can make 'here and now'.

Through this book, let's practice letting go of the guilt that working moms often fall into.
If you break away from the dichotomous choice of "work or children" and look a little further into the future while finding the best you can do in the present situation, you will find that both your child and you have grown up before you know it.


For mothers who want to raise their children well and grow as themselves.
56 Most Realistic and Essential Advice

This book consists of 6 chapters and 56 chapters.
First, in Chapters 1 and 4, the author introduces the cold reality and sharp advice that working moms must know about the realistic concerns they face several times a day.
The author advises us to remember that very few people work for self-actualization, and that most of us are breadwinners who must earn money to raise children and make a living.
As you follow the author's insights into why working moms need to work harder, focus more on physical health, and develop their careers, you'll find yourself waking up to the cold water.


Chapters 2 and 3 deal with the child's character and learning.
In Chapter 2, the author mentions the importance of character education, which is particularly emphasized in today's world, and shares the know-how and tips he gained while raising his two sons.
From the importance of family events, which are hard to find these days, to how to deal with a child who plays alone, why assigning chores helps a child's social life, and how to practice shared parenting in an apartment, you'll immediately want to put into practice the parenting tips detailed by experienced moms.
Chapter 3 encourages mothers not to lose sight of the purpose and essence of studying through universal common sense that all mothers raising children should know, such as reading education, discovering children's talents, and how to utilize the brain, rather than subject-specific study tips.


Chapters 5 and 6 explain the importance of fatherly parenting, the impact of marital intimacy on children, and how parents and children can grow together.
Through the commonalities and characteristics the author has discovered through analyzing the concerns of countless working moms he has encountered in the field for 15 years, this book provides an opportunity to reconsider what kind of person a father should be to a child, what specific influence the intimacy between a couple has on a child, and how we should treat our companions as someone's wife and husband before becoming parents.


The happiness of living as a mother
Finding a balance between the joys of living my life
This is true work-life balance.


“The best thing I’ve ever done is become a mother, but what’s even more rewarding is growing up with my child.”

The author emphasizes that while the past ten years of balancing work and childcare have been incredibly difficult, becoming a mother has been the happiest and most rewarding experience in the world.
If you put in just 10 years of proper effort, your child will be able to solve his or her own problems on his or her own, but if you spend this time poorly, he or she may become a child who requires constant care and attention.
That doesn't mean that 10 years is a perfect 10 years.
The author urges us not to give up, saying that if we just pay a little more attention to the critical period that suits our child's developmental characteristics, both work and a career, as well as happy parenting, are all possible.
For working mothers in Korea, who are enduring the most difficult and tiring days of their lives, even at this very moment, and who are anxious about whether they can successfully manage both work and childcare, this book will offer warm hope and firm confidence.