Let me first give a gracious thank you to the women that came before us. The courageous women who paved our path, and who set us in the direction that leads us to where we are today…our moms.
Your mom and my mom (or maybe it was someone different who played this role in your life), some who worked outside of the home before having kids and many who didn’t, yet all united in encouraging the young women they raised to continue their education at the college level and pursue a professional career.
This is the one thing I love about the new era of us moms- that more of us than ever before are college-educated women who pursued a professional career prior to having babies. We got life experience outside of the home, we took care of ourselves and our finances separate from our partner, and we learned how to be independent, successful and respected in a man’s world. Many moms are still active full-time in the workforce after having kids (I like call these women, superheroes).
Personally, I chose to stay home after a long-time career with a company that didn’t allow me to continue in a part-time capacity. I entered the ‘stay-at-home-mom’ world with a little push. I was frightened to not have the daily validation from working in a position that I knew I was valued and successful in. Becoming a mom is like starting a new job from scratch; no training, no past history, and I’m pretty sure babies don’t validate our performance. It can be frightening and lonely.
But we do it. We take our professional skill-sets that we learned in the work-force and we emerge more goal-oriented, educated and organized women. And we raise our kids. I have to assume that the way we learn to commit ourselves to a professional position, learn, grow and contribute to a team- greatly benefits the kids that we raise. The management experience that I had through my experience has helped me immensely when it comes to having patience with my boys and understanding what makes them uniquely motivated. This is where work experience comes into positive play at home. If I’m honest, other than strong family values instilled by my own parents, it is one of my strongest pre-requisites on my mom-resume.
So, to my mom, who never told me I could do anything short of everything, I thank you. I know that I would not be the mom I am today without the struggles, the climbing of the ladder, the experience and the confidence that I received in the working world. I see that in myself, in my friends, and in the moms of this generation. You rule ladies. And may the next generation kick our butts and rule far beyond what we could have ever imagined.