Jan Brown recently left corporate life to work as a life and career coach. She blogs for The Hired Guns about ways that working moms can achieve balance in their life, and also about methods that stay-at-home moms can use the reenter the workplace effectively. Before heading out on her own, Jan advised Fortune 500 companies on philanthropy.
If you are a working mom like me, you already know what’s hard about it. And pretty much every portrayal of a working mom on TV and in movies and magazines depicts the stressed-out, crazy nature of it.
I’m not saying it ain’t so. But just as there are so many things I love about being a parent, there are also many things I like — sometimes even love — about working outside the home. To kick off the New Year, I want to spend some time celebrating a few of my favorite things about working.
1. Tapping the Gray Matter
One of the best things about doing paid work outside the home is the different way I get to use my brain. It’s no small job to run a household and care for children. It’s tough work and it definitely requires a lot of thinking, planning, and organization. But for me, I find I use my brain differently when I work at my job outside the home. In my last corporate job I managed teams, researched new trends, gave presentations, and synthesized a great deal of complicated information into pithy PowerPoint charts. Occasionally I got to use really big words like “synergistic.” Now, as a coach, I tap into all of my experience and brainpower to help clients overcome obstacles and shape their best lives. I love the thrill of kicking my brain into high gear to solve complicated problems and communicate clearly.
2. Making Copies, Making Friends
Another great thing about working is walking into an office every morning and being greeted by people who can speak in full sentences. I like having non-interrupted conversations about the hot new movie/restaurant/play everyone’s talking about (that I probably won’t see/eat at/attend). I like feeling like I know what’s going on in the world outside my family. When I’m taking care of my daughter, I have to make a bigger effort to seek out other parents I can connect with — they aren’t just sitting one desk over. But when I do make friends with other moms or dads, it’s really rewarding — we have a lot in common. So I have found that one of the best things about working is that I can have friends that I know through being a parent AND friends that I have met solely through work. And I can have totally different kinds of conversations with each of them that nourish different parts of myself.
3. A Cube of One’s Own
One of the things I miss the most about my office job now that I’ve gone out on my own as a soloprenuer is, well, my office. I miss having a quiet space to go to where all I am supposed to do there is work. My living room, kitchen table, or even the corner cafe just can’t substitute for an actual desk in an actual office. When you are surrounded by dirty dishes and piles of laundry, it’s hard to concentrate. And if your kids are older than 6 weeks old, Goddess forbid if you have to take a conference call or do some actual work at home when they are there. An office, even a cube, helps you concentrate, get the work done, and calls forth your “worker” identity — the one you had before you became “Mom.” Even dressing for an office puts me in a different mindset. Plus you get to hang up funny New Yorker cartoons!
4. Business Trips
Two words: hotel room. Ooh and two more words: room service. Yes, I miss my little cutie back home. And I am sad when I kiss her chubby cheeks goodbye as I head off for that flight. But oh how do I love thee, dearest hotel room — with your big, comfy bed and fluffy, cat-hair-free pillows, and no snoring husband or children beseeching “Can I sleep in your bed?” in sight. I can drop my big thick towel on the floor. I can soak in the tub-that-has-been-cleaned-by-someone-else for hours. I can even order room service and watch Toddlers & Tiaras all alone in my pj’s. No, I’m not saying that long business trips are fun, especially the business part of the trip. But a night or two alone in a hotel is miso soup for this mom’s soul.
5. Show Me the Money (I didn’t say this list was in order of importance.)
In the end, most of us work for the paycheck, no matter how large or how small. Getting paid for one’s blood sweat and tears feels great. It not only does important things like pay the rent/mortgage/orthodontist bill, it also gives you a sense of accomplishment and boosts your self-esteem. When I work, I know I am contributing to my family’s well-being — and my own. And I feel a lot less guilty about treating myself to that fabulous new pair of suede boots I’ve been drooling over.
Yes, the money I earn is the main reason why I work, but as I made this list a few other big ones came to mind. Honoring my desire for achievement that didn’t magically disappear the moment I became a mom. Making an impact on the world at large. Being told you did a good job by your boss, coworkers or clients or, even better, through a bonus check. Setting a positive example for my daughter. These are important things indeed, so let’s celebrate them!
What are your favorite things about the working part of being a working mom? Let us know below or on Facebook…
[Photo: mconnors]
