A Secret to Success as a Working Mom: Turn Burn Out Into Bliss and Embrace Joy

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Last weekend my youngest was committed to going to the "Water Steps" a man-made water fall in Pittsburgh by the rivers. (Fun Fact: Three rivers converge in Pittsburgh--The Ohio River, The Monongahela River, and the Allegheny River.)  He kept asking. I knew he was serious when he said, "If you won't take me, I'll ask  daddy!" Given that it was highly unlikely that would happen on an unscheduled day, I relented. So, we went. It wasn’t planned in the way most things in my life are. No calendar block. No checklist. No “productive” purpose attached. And, so in some respects it was uncomfortable. And yet, it seemed necessary. It was the idea of my 8-year-old—offered with the kind of urgency only children possess when something is profoundly important to them.
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A Peek Into the Life of a Working Mom: Judging Other Mothers…

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As Mother’s Day approaches I find myself thinking about mothers, my own mother, my friends, and myself. Recently, I read an article about Maggie Gyllenhaal who reflected on how judgmental she was of other mothers before she had children and I could relate.

Before having children I judged other mothers...


Before having children I judged my mother’s parenting ever so critically. She worked during my childhood. Still, I wondered why she couldn’t make homemade Halloween costumes, pick me up from school on time and have dinner ready every night. It never occurred to me that 24 hours is simply not enough time to be a good wife, stellar employee and keep a home like Martha Stewart. Instead, I thought that our lives would be better if only she tried harder. How hard?! As a child, I didn’t quantify such things. I was self absorbed and merely wanted my mom to do more.
 

Being a working mom has made me humble...


Now that I am a working mom, I judge no one. If I see mom with a little girl whose hair is in a million directions I know that child was throwing a temper tantrum that morning. Instead of failing, the mom made a judgment call and chose sanity instead of perfection. And I am not mad at her. Perfection is WAY overrated…

http://www.everydayfamily.com/blog/maggie-gyllenhaal-on-judging-others/  

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