The best mother I can be… that’s what I strive for ultimately, above all else. People often ask me if it was really difficult to get a doctorate degree and redirect my career later in life. Really, the degree and my work is the easy part, it’s doing all of that in the context of life as a wife and parent that’s really the challenge. It’s the maternal guilt and always feeling as though I’m being pulled in a million directions, never doing anything 100% (by my standards!). So how do I manage that?
- I remind myself that my children benefit from seeing me do work that I love
- I take vacations and stop for even a moment to savor the simplest moments (just got back from a trip to Puerto Rico where I snorkeled with my kids & watched tropical fish swim past us!)
- I focus on family on the weekends and rarely check email
- I remember that every move I make is an example to my children
- I look for other examples to show my children how one’s work can be fulfilling and rewarding and point these out from a variety of age groups
- I include my children in on my work when possible, so they can understand what I do and how it affects people’s lives and business (sometimes this is an ‘off the hook’ experience for my kids… photo explanations included), which helps them understand that my role as ‘mom’ and worker are both important
While my success is business is an incredible accomplishment, my greatest accomplishment in life is truly the work I do for and with my children. On Mother’s Day I am reminded that I am one of the luckiest women in the world. This Sunday, savor the Moms in your life and savor yourself, for we are all Moms in some way, to someone & more often, to many.
Happy Mother’s Day.
Tags: accomplishment, age groups, amp, business, day, degree, doctorate, doctorate degree, explanations, greatest accomplishment, guilt, kids photo, life, Moms, mother, Puerto Rico, tropical fish, women in the world, work