Post Mother's Day has me thinking about Mom's that are in my life.
First, my mom. She is the most supportive person in the world. She is my best friend. I aim to be just like her in regards of raising my girls to be my friends while letting them learn their own mistakes. I'll let them go, but I know they'll always come back to me the way I came back to my Momma.
Secondly, I work with amazing working moms. This is so key in my strong feelings about being a working mom. My boss has 3 kids (one set of twins). She is in the final stages of getting her PhD. I have so much respect for her work/family balance. Every woman I work with is very positive about her choice to work and her ability to care for her family, too. If I was not surrounded by positive people, I don't know if I would feel so good about my choices.
This brings me to what I really want to do with my life. I really want to share my story with women who are thinking of having a family and working. Not everyone has a choice, but even if you don't have a choice you can still feel REALLY good about the balance of your life. It isn't always easy. Staying at home with your children isn't easy, either, and it is all about balance. If you are happy with what you do, your children are going to FEEL it.
I want for my girls to have career aspirations. I want them to do what makes them happy. I would love it if they wanted to be working moms (like me) and be in a career that is satisfying yet allows them to have a family. Women can have it all. I would love it if they wanted to start their family after college and stay home. As long as they are happy and adjusted, I don't care what they want to do.
I'm thinking about what I can do to present my experience to other women. I do have a really good platform with the company I work for. I think I could make this happen. Would anyone be willing to listen? I don't know, but a girl can always dream. After all, all I need is a microphone and a stage and I'm happy!
People Who Read My Crap
6 comments:
Do you have Junior Achievement in your area? http://www.ja.org/
It might be a starting point AND you would reach boys too, so they know they should support a woman's decision, either way. :)
I did this a few years ago and it was a great experience!
I had to comment on this. I am glad you have found a way to balance both. However, I am a stay at home mom so I can be available to my children while they are young, knowing that I have decades ahead of me to dedicate to a career. Most moms in my neighborhood work and I can't tell you the number of times that at all of these families have had to call me begging me to pick up their sick kids at school, or say they are stuck in traffic and could I please get their kids off the bus, or having the kids get off the bus and come to my house crying because their mom forgot to put the "daycare note" in their backpacks and no one is home for them. It is heartbreaking. I just wish some of these parents that pat themselves on the back for their strong "work ethic" invested a little more into their "parenting ethics" for these kids instead of burdening other friends/neighbors/granparents etc.
Holly I am all ears! Preach on sister! I think JA would be a great start, I actually have some connections if you want to check into it.
I love my career, I love that my children see me succeed at home and at work. You may not be able to be home room mom, but as a working mother in a good environment, you can still go to all the class parties, volunteer, and attend every school event.
I dont know who anonymous is, but it sounds like she has some bad neighbors...
I love your idea Mamalicious! I think you would be great at it b/c on very little sleep and relatively poor nutrition (pork rinds), you manage to delight loads of readers everyday and keep your babies happy. I'm with you MoreWinePlease-I think anonymous has some bad neighbors. I can't imagine not working especially since I went to school for nine years to do it (and also we have gotten used to having a roof over our heads). In our case, Hubby has stayed home with the kids and goes to school at night. I think it is interesting the idea of having decades ahead to devote to a career...when is that exactly? After they are in school (but what age-high school seems just as demanding as preschool age). I think there always has to be balance and if you take 5 - 15 years away from your profession, it will not be easy to resume. Hope that doesn't sound hostile in the written world of no inflection. Just a thought.
I think you would be a great motivational speaker and it's a topic that people would really respond to. I am a working mother and have a 2 yr. old and 4 yr. Although, I love my job and am in the same situation as you where my employer knows that my family comes first there are still days when I feel guilty. Most of those days are when I am talking to moms in our playgroup who casually mention (repeatedly) that they gave up their careers to raise their children and that's it's such a small sacrifice in the long run...blah blah blah...I know you've heard it too. The funny part is that I know that most of these jobs they are talking about were as cashiers or waitresses so in reality they really didn't give up a career -- and it wasn't always a choice that they made. If you can't afford daycare I think the choice is made for you. My husband is a teacher and doesn't make enough money to support our family so I really don't have a choice either so i totally understand. I love that you recognize that not everyone has a choice but it's like everyhing else in life you have to do the best with what you are given. You are doing a marvelous job so don't let anyone make you think differently! ;-)
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