Working Mommy Lesson #4

I'll start this post with a few pics from the pumpkin farm for those of you that visit this blog more for Hope photos and updates then for my ponderings. Isn't she sweet? I sure do think so.

Believe it or not, I already have another working mommy lesson to share with all of you. This one came this morning.

Working Mommy Lesson #4: Don't Apologize That You Are a Mom.

Mondays are one of my days home with Hope. Given the nature of my job, I do work on Mondays and some Mondays I even have to do meetings. This Monday was one of them however I did not have any childcare. My mom or my mother-in-law could have watched Hope but we are going out of town tomorrow (for work) and I make sure to never take advantage of my childcare (another working mommy lesson I'll save for later). So there was no childcare this morning which meant I took Hope with me to pick up my client and we dropped him off at the meeting instead of attending (although we working mommies do keep the world turning, sometimes it just has to spin without us). When my client stuck his head in the back of the car to greet Hope as he climbed in, she immediately began to cry and did not stop until after he was long out of her sight.

I felt horrible and unprofessional and wondered why this client would want such a scattered mommy to be his manager. Thank God he has small children himself and understands how it goes. Yet still. . .I was less than my best on the job this morning.

I felt guilty for about an hour until I was driving home and that working mommy lesson voice spoke very clearly, "Don't apologize that you are a mom." I'm a mom first (especially on Mondays) and everyone I work with and work for knew that going in. I've actually begged my boss to fire me, telling him I just don't cut it in this role as a mom. When I say this - which is about once every three months - he gives me a pep talk and tells me what a good job I'm doing. Perhaps someday he'll realize that a screaming toddler is not the best representation of our company, but until then I am not going to feel bad that sometimes my role as a mom overlaps my role as a manager.

Sure, I might be a little embarrassed when my child acts out in front of my coworkers. And I might be horrified when she cries so loud I can't talk to the client I see in person only three times a year. But I will not apologize that I am a mom or for anything that comes with that. Actually, I'm probably a better manager for it. . .since I know how to deal with high maintenance people that need constant attention.

: )