As my alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m. and I get ready to start the entire “morning routine” with my son, I can’t help wonder how many other working parents are waking up with me and how mothers are expected to work as if they did not have children and to be mothers as if they did not have jobs.
On a typical day, I make my coffee, get my son some milk, get ready, get him ready, and leave the house. I drop him off and I head to work. However, as any working mother out there knows, it does not always happen this way. It sounds great in theory, but in life, there are many variables that can interfere with the “perfect” morning routine. Some days his shoes are “too tight”, others “his sock feels weird” or he wants to take all his toys to school.
One morning, as I tried to figure out which sock was the “right one” I was also feeding him cereal, getting my toge ready – it was a Court day – and double checking I had everything I needed for the full day ahead. It was already 6:50 a.m. and I had to be out of the house in 10 minutes.
When you are a working mother you know that the first step to starting the day off right is managing not to lose it in the morning. I mean, some people are still asleep at this time and it feels like an entire day just went by in the last hour and a half.
That morning, after a few bumps along the way, including a cheerio fight, I dropped off my son at daycare and headed to Court. As crazy as it is to have “an entire day in your morning”, sleep is overrated, we manage to find the strength to do it all and a little more: To be loving mothers and competent workers, superheroes I like to think. We are here to help our clients navigate through their trials and turbulences.
No, it is not easy, the balance between work and motherhood are not talked about enough. There are people out there who thinks being a mother is a weakness to the work force. But it is the exact opposite, having a working mom in your team is one of the most powerful weapons you can have, because trust me, there is nothing she cannot do.
That day, as I got into my car to drive back to the office, I looked down, and there they were, four “oats and honey Cheerios” sitting comfortably tucked into the crevice of my scarf (yes, they were there all day as I spoke to client and attorneys). It was perfect timely snack for my son for pick up!
