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It’s International Working Woman’s Day and just the right time to stop and praise (or give a hug to?) one particular group of working women: mamas! Have you ever noticed that, when a man announces he and his partner are expecting, nobody asks him, “Are you going to keep working when the baby comes?” It’s just a given that the man would keep working. What about the mom? Maybe she wants to keep working, too? Oh, that’s fine, but she’s totally demonized should she fall behind even the tiniest bit on mommy duties, due to work, or work duties, due to being a mommy. If a working dad puts in a tiny effort with the kiddos, he receives a parade. If he falls behind on work due to father duties, he receives total forgiveness and—again—that parade. So, for goodness sake, on International Working Women’s Day, let’s acknowledge these struggles of working mothers.
Arriving at work with stains
There’s nothing like pulling up to an important meeting or presentation with yogurt on your blouse because your kid decided to use his breakfast to decorate mommy’s outfit. Everyone laughs, says it’s cute, and calls it no big deal, but you know it’s distracting them.
