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| My kids. One in full meltdown mode |
The reason the phrase,
“working mom” exists is because there is a common experience of working and
mothering. You’re no less a “worker” than you are a “mom”. Indeed, you are
both. In some ways, it means living a dual existence. Even if you’re a senior
executive like Marisa Mayer or Sharon Sandberg, chances are there have been
days when you have literally been covered in vomit that belongs to another
human being as you were attempting to walk out of the door, or you have
voluntarily taken your bare finger and used it to remove a boogie from someone’s
nose, or perhaps you have surprisingly found yourself with feces in your lap
while you were holding the object of your affection who suddenly had a diaper
explode...
What is also likely true is that before your “real work day begins”, when you walk out of the door to go to work, you have been up for at least two
hours or more. In that time you have managed to care for your kids, get
dressed, and answer some emails.
Being a working mom is a labor of love, but it is labor.
Being a working mom is
a labor of love, but it is labor. You work lasts from sun up before the
sun comes up to sun down. It causes you to multitask, draw on a variety of
skill sets, and exercise both great creativity and great patience. Working moms
also have to figure out how to meet all of the demands they had before they
created this little person who brings them both great happiness and hardship.
One thing that often
goes by the wayside is fitness. I know so many moms who struggle to lose the
baby weight or feel as if the weight of the world is on their shoulders. Neither
is healthy. The time constraints and demands the working mom faces can make it nearly impossible to gather some time for a quick workout. The working mom has to juggle work, kids, cooking and cleaning and is not even close to thinking about hitting the gym and getting a workout in...
I stay in shape by walking with my kids all around the city. Generally, I have found that walking helps us all feel better. We all enjoy being outside. And often, the air soothes them and makes them tired. We even enjoy one of Pittsburgh parks along the way. That said, there are times. like in the photo above when one of them has a full blown public meltdown because they don't want to leave the park. It takes a different skill set to manage those meltdowns. They never happen when I interact with colleagues who actually listen to me!
Seriously, this blog exists to help working moms identify
solutions to their problems. Below is a link to an article that discusses how to be a “fit
mom”. Read it and apply what works for you. Before long you may find that you
are strutting in your stilettos!
Odessa American
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