Raising Children While you Work: Balance & Benefits

Jan 30 2011

Raising Children While you Work: Balance & Benefits Raising Children While you Work: Balance & Benefits Raising Children While you Work: Balance & Benefits

I’m thankful that my children do not read my blog or log onto my website.  At this teen and pre-teen stage of their lives, they have zero interest in what I do professionally.  They do however think I have a “cool job” and they have mentioned on occasion that they appreciate my earning some extra bucks to fund the things they like to do. (Like keep the heat on and put food on the table, I often reply). I was looking through my photos on my laptop and discovered these here obviously taken while they were clowning around with my computer.  I could never take any pics that would better reflect their true personality as these do and I’m so pleased to have discovered them.  Priceless!

I have been thinking about some of the facebook posts I’ve seen lately from some of the working moms I know.  They have posted things like this:  “I wish I could stay home and do crafts or bake cookies with the little one today”…”It would be a great day to take my kids to the zoo but I’m working today,”  Trust me when I say: I GET IT!  It is very hard to strike the work/mom/home balance.  I’m all for equal rights and I know dads feel this way too some but I believe in maternal instincts and most of them are in the mom (I’m not going to argue they don’t exist in men and I’m not saying here that I’m right about it all but I’m writing this from my perspective). There have been many days–especially when mine were really little–that I wondered if working was a luxury, a necessity, or selfish on my part.  Probably a bit of each.  Looking back, I’m thankful I continued working full-time including launching and growing my own business.  Having children has actually helped advance my career.  It is easy? Heck no. There were–and still are–days when I thought I’d never get one minute of time for myself.  It does get easier in some ways as they get older and the guilt of not being there vanishes when you realize they get to the age when they’d rather NOT have you around all the time.  

Here’s a list of how I think having & raising children has directly impacted my career and PR:

  • Children teach you that you don’t know everything (even when you think you do)
  • Children act like children and sometimes so do co-workers & clients–great training!
  • Children have fresh eyes and the ability to think out of the box which helps me think that way
  • Children teach you not to take things so seriously and to laugh at your mistakes
  • Children teach you time management–gone are the days of doing what you want whenever you want
  • One of the best lessons from children: patience 
  • Children can view an issue from many perspectives giving us diverse thinking
  • Children can lobby for what they want even before they speak 
  • Children are creative; I sometimes get mine to help me brainstorm on creative ideas/campaigns
  • Children are tech savvy and they’ll teach me what I need to learn
  • Teenagers can find anything on You-Tube; My son is like a walking encyclopedia
  • Children teach humility and gratitude which I believe are keys to success in business
  • Children are resilient, forgiving and tolerant: qualities needed in business

I’d love to hear some of your own experiences. I think this list could go on indefinitely!  In closing, my hat is off to all you working moms (and dads) out there and especially to the single parents! Has raising children while you work had any impact on you?