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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Thanksgiving Comments from a Dad (#Thanksgiving)

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As you know, Andre surprises me in a myriad of ways. To name a few, he's away a decent amount doing home improvement projects for his parents, his brother and my brother. Soon, I may start calling him "Bob Vila"... In all candor, absence makes the laundry piles grow higher and my patience run thin.  However, you know this, because I have been known to whine about it on more than one occasion.


Fathers were asked to write a statement about how they feel taking their child to school. Andre, who is generally a man of few words, submitted the statement below. It illustrates why in many ways, our daughter is the luckiest girl in the world because she has him for a dad.

Andre's statement:


In life, one is bombarded with an astonishing amount of tasks to do every day. Keeping up with this world of non-stop movement and the dire need to accomplish as much as possible, we can easily lose track of the important things in life. Taking a moment to slow things down to enjoy those important things can be priceless.

One of the most important things in my life is watching my daughter grow every day. I have the privilege of taking a moment to slow things down when I am walking home from school with her. From the moment she takes my hand it seems like the world around us just stops and my total attention is on her, while she takes me step by step through her day. We only have a short distance to walk but you can’t imagine all the things she sees and gets enjoyment out of. There are some things that never change like the buildings or pressing the button to turn the traffic light.  However, the excitement she gets pointing out all the gifts of nature from the changing of the seasons is to die for.

So far we have explored the fall foliage and the leaves on the ground. Now, as we step into winter, we are seeing how many snowflakes we can catch with our tongue. There is no telling what she can find during our walk. However, I know that I have found the best part of my day.

Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA

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