Why This Working Mom Is DONE Pretending At The Office

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working mom

Last year, I was expecting my second child and gearing up to go on maternity leave as a working mom. My boss planned a shower for me and for some reason confided to me that upon inviting some of my coworkers to the party, one of them chided,

“You know you don’t have to throw her a shower. It’s her second child. It’s not that big of a deal.”

To add insult to injury, the person who had the audacity to make such a comment is a childless executive. This is what working moms face every day in the office.

It wasn’t the first time an inappropriate comment was made about my pregnancy either.

I was asked how I was planning to spend my “three-month vacation” (AKA my maternity leave.) I was told it must be nice to be a woman and take a break from work whenever I had a child. And my favorite, the snide comment every working mom has heard,

“Who’s going to take care of the baby?”

These comments just about sum up my personal experience as a working mom.

Let’s be honest, we’re all working moms in reality. All moms work, whether we put in hours at a separate business, we stay at home as the primary caregiver, or we’re a little bit of both.

But for those of us who head to the office every day, many are faced with the unique challenge of taking our mom aprons off, putting our office blazers on, and pretending like the little ones we leave in the care of someone else don’t matter.

And I’m done with pretending to not be a working mom.

No longer will I apologize for requesting to work remotely a few times a month so I can skip the two hours I sit in traffic to be with my kids at bedtime.

No longer will I shy away from explaining why I need to block my calendar to pump milk for my infant child.

No longer will feel guilty for asking family to step in on the random in-service days at my kid’s school.

And no longer will I allow the judgmental comments of others bring me down. I’m a great mom and a great employee, and my kids deserve to know that.

I work to provide a financially secure future for my family. I also enjoy what I do for a paycheck. But starting this year, I plan to make some changes in my attitude and actions.

Not just for me, but for all the moms trying to break the glass ceiling in uncomfortable shoes and breastmilk in their lunch bag.

After all, one day soon it will be our children in the boardroom. And wouldn’t we want the same opportunities for them to succeed while raising our grandchildren? These are our future CEOs, doctors, teachers, and elected officials.

My hope is by taking this one small stance, I’m clearing the way for my kids to have the work-life balance they so greatly deserve, and the balance we still don’t always receive.

Why This Working Mom Is DONE Pretending At The Office PIN

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