WORKING MOTHER JUGGLING ACT

Schools are back in session and helping with homework, afterschool activities, making lunches are all back in effect. We had a really nice long active summer filled with summer camps, sleepovers, sleeping in past 7am, flip flops and swimsuits as basic apparel, and a different schedule every week. A couple years back I made the decision to step away from corporate life and work from home. I wanted to be able to actually participate in and enjoy my daughter's school years, and have a job that was flexible with her ever changing schedule. Working from home is a double-edged sword—a blessing and a hinderance, a constant juggling act between family and work, at times lonely and other times peaceful—and always a work in progress. 

Such is life, right? 

The internet is an amazing tool, and has changed the way businesses are run. Without the internet, working from home would not even be an option. Also, the way my daughter's generation will view the workplace will be different. Maggie made a comment over the summer that really struck me. I was dropping her off at camp one morning, in my normal apparel of either shorts and a t-shirt or workout gear depending, and I said my good-byes because I needed to get to work. She replied, "Mommy, you don't have to go to work, you don't go into an office." 

Um, ouch!

I had to take a step back and process a little. I realized I have completely changed the concept of "working mom" for my tween. I explained, "Of course mommy works," but that I have the benefit of doing it from my computer at home. In my mother's generation, if you worked it definitely meant that you had to work outside of the home in most cases. In our generation, most families can't survive without two incomes, and whether you work in or out of the home, once you add children into the mix, it becomes the ultimate juggling act. 

Am I trying to say, "Life is a circus, deal with it"? Maybe.

Or rather:

Life, motherhood, family, and work take mad juggling skills. 
Good thing the journey is worth it!

Juggle on! 

Just for fun - here is a quick video on how to juggle for real. 




post by Pauline Molinari